


Purpling

by whatisreggieshortfor



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:14:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 31,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27262570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatisreggieshortfor/pseuds/whatisreggieshortfor
Summary: A girl is born in a world where girls are born red, and boys are born blue. When you meet your soul mate, you turn purple. Because red and blue go together. Always. Until it doesn't.
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The day before my 18th birthday, my best friend dragged me to a party. We normally don’t participate in social events, but she was convinced that we would never turn purple if we didn’t start.  
“But Anna, I don’t want to go.” I whined.  
She just smiled, handed me my keys, and whispered, “But I do.”  
That was something about our friendship. We suffered through anything the other wanted to do, even though we had wildly different interests. So naturally, she convinced me to go since I made her sit through three nights of ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ the week before.  
As I drove, we fought over the radio, her red hand slapping mine away. When we pulled up to the house of Ethan Gates, I had a sickening feeling in my stomach. I could tell something about tonight was going to be different.  
And that’s when I saw her.  
I don’t know what it was about her beauty that captivated me. I’ve seen beautiful women, but the way her long dark hair fell onto her pale, red skin had me mesmerized. And then I walked into a pole.  
Looking up from the ground, all I could hear was Anna’s laughter in my ears. “Ellie, do you even watch your feet?” she roared. I scrambled to my feet, and I’m sure that if my skin weren’t already red, it would turn that way. Looking up, I saw the concern on this stranger’s face, and I tried to laugh it off.  
“Yeah, but what I didn’t see was the pole jump out in front of me.”  
“Oh yeah, with that lightning speed.” Anna snorted. “Come on, I’ll lead the way.” She said, interlocking her arm with mine. As we made our way to the front door, I lost sight of the raven-haired beauty. Anna pushed open the door and was welcomed by her adoring fans. By which I refer to the many peers of ours that made her this insanely popular human being, and I, her clumsy dork of a companion.  
For reasons I never quite understood, Anna chose to spend her time with me. We were best friends, and I always wondered why she would choose to lower her social standard to bring me out in public with her. Not that I was unpopular, it’s just that…well yeah, I was unpopular. My white hair, frizzy although straightened, bangs sweeping off to the side, framing my glasses clad face with the rest in a messy ponytail. She had beautiful brown curls that bounced with her walk, flowing to her shoulders over her black and white striped dress, as compared to my standard t-shirt and skinny jeans. She had dozens of suitors; every guy we knew wished they could be the one to turn her purple. Though none had yet prevailed.  
As we made our way through the living room, I saw so many blue and red faces, like a living watercolor painting. A room off to the right had a group of people slowly touching hands, attempting to find a match. Once in the kitchen, I grabbed a soda pop and found a chair. That’s when I saw her again. The mysterious beauty that captivated my consciousness, coming my way. “Lys!” I heard Anna shout, waving this wondrous being over. “Ellie, this is Melyssa,” she grinned.  
This mystery girl smiled, “Just Lys, if you don’t mind.”  
“Hello Lys. I’m Ellie. Just Ellie, if you don’t mind.” I smiled. As opposed to a lot of other worlds, it is not a custom for two women to shake hands when they meet, after all to touch someone here is to test for purple. Red and red could never make purple.  
Suddenly, a noise erupted from the living room. We enter to find my older brother touching hands with a senior girl from my class, purple emanating from each of them.  
“Jason!” I shouted, he looked up, smiling greatly. He dashed across the room, sweeping me into a hug.  
“Ellie! Can you believe it? I changed. We changed! I can’t believe it!” Jason was beaming. Measuring at six foot three inches, a lot of girls were afraid of changing colors with him, but when five foot four Arianna ran up, she was nothing but smiles.  
“I’m so happy for you!” Lys replied, “Nice to meet you by the way.” She smiled brightly.  
“Thank you.” Arianna said cheerily.  
Jason wrapped his arms around her waist, purple showing from the slivers of skin emerging from under her sweater. “I am honestly in shock right now.” He said, “Not only did I change, but she is just gorgeous.” Arianna smiled shyly, Jason leaned down and gently kissed her cheek. Arianna’s eyes lit up, “Come on!” she smiled, pulling him along and brushing her pin straight brown hair out of her eyes, “We must tell everyone!” He smiled and let her drag him behind her.  
Waving him goodbye, I watched as my brother disappeared with his true love. Feeling a pang of what I assumed to be jealousy, I settled back into my seat. As I slowly started sipping at my drink, Anna started nudging me, “Come on, don’t you want to go in there and try for that?”  
“No.” I replied honestly.  
She looked at me unscrupulously. “I don’t believe you.” She pursed her lips. “However, I do know it will take forever to get you in there and frankly, I don’t want to waste time forcing you when I could go in there and give it a go.” She hugged me, “I’ll meet you in a little while.” I waved her off.  
So, I sat there. Sipping this brown bubbly liquid that chilled down my throat. I glanced up enough to realize that Lys was still there, watching me. I nearly choked when I looked into her deep green eyes. “Are you okay?” She asked, concerned as I gasped.  
“Oh, yeah,” I laughed, “I love breathing my beverages.”  
She let out a small giggle, like a magic sound I had never heard. I couldn’t help but stare. She smiled, “Can I help you?” she asked, sarcasm clear in the question.  
“Yes,” I said, “as a matter of fact bartender, I need another drink.” I chuckled, holding my empty soda cup in the air.  
“Ma’am, I need to see some ID.” She stated, trying to hold a serious face, and failing immensely. As she reached in the fridge, Anna screamed.  
Lys and I darted from the kitchen, into the living room, and out the front door. There we saw our friend, arm out, fingertips touching those of the college neighbor boy. I wasn’t sure what I saw until I got closer. Anna was beaming, she looked up from their hands and smiled at me. “Ellie!” she yelled, “Ellie!” I ran over. “Look! Can you believe it? It happened! It actually happened!” The smile that burst across her, showing her pearly whites, made my heart soar. She finally did it.  
“What’s his name?” I asked, smiling at her smile.  
“I actually don’t know,” she said, “I accidentally ran into him when I walked out here to get some air and I felt a weird tingle in my hand when he helped me up and when I looked down, it was purple!”  
I laughed and turned to the easily six-foot-tall mystery man and his dyed purple hair. He had a build that reminded me of that of a former football player. “What’s your name?”  
I hadn’t noticed that he was smiling and just watching my best friend’s excitement. “Nick.” He said softly, not taking his eyes off her, “I’m Ethan’s next-door neighbor, go to the local university a few miles away so he invited me to the party.” I wrapped her into a hug.  
“I’m so happy for you Anna.” I whispered. Then I turned to Nick, “You better be good to her, man. You hear me?”  
“I hear you.” He said, attempting a serious face, but a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.  
“Nick!” Anna shouted. “Marvelous name!” Clearly overly giddy by having found who she was meant for. Nick laughed, “Why don’t you talk to your friend and I’ll go get us a drink?” He leaned down, kissed her forehead, and disappeared into the house. “Aren’t you just so excited Ellie?” she beamed.  
“Beyond.” I smiled back at her. “But he better take care of you, or he’ll have to deal with me.” We laughed.  
“Just wait,” Anna said softly, “You’ll get yours.”  
Later at home, as I collapsed onto my bed, I replayed the night’s events. My brother. My classmate. My best friend. Today was eventful. I tried processing all of it, but my mind kept falling back to that beautiful girl. I couldn’t quite grasp why she struck such a solid line in my head, after all, why would a girl think about another girl so much? But boy, I was not prepared for the answer I was going to get. Suddenly, I heard a tapping at my bedroom window.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I pulled back the curtain to see Anna’s smiling face. I forgot this was her game. When I thought I was finally in for the night, here she would come knocking on my window. As I slid it open to do the usual “I’m-not-leaving-yes-you-are” game, she quickly pressed her finger to my lips and whispered, “We don’t have time for you to pretend you aren’t coming with me. Now let’s go.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me out the window. Pulling me down the driveway in the middle of the night, I could see figures ahead of me. As we drew closer, I started to make out the faces of Nick, Lys, and another tall individual that I didn’t know, but his hair reminded me of Lys.  
“Hey!” Lys grinned. “You ready?”  
“Ready for what?” I asked.  
“Just get in the car.” Anna chirped in. “You’ll see.” She flashed her devilish grin.  
As we got in my car, Anna claimed her usual seat up front, and the rest piled in the back, Lys perched in the middle.  
“So, are you gonna give me a destination?” I laughed, starting the car. “Or is this one of those left, right, straight things?” Anna grinned at me through the dark. “Left, right, straight it is.” I laughed.  
Pulling out of the driveway, we became immersed in conversation. The stranger, whom I learned was Nick’s friend, and Lys’ brother, Travis, was relaying some story about a fish that made everyone laugh. I glanced up in the rearview mirror approaching a stop sign to see Lysis’s mesmerizing eyes staring back at me, I almost didn’t hear Anna’s voice in my ear, “Right.”  
I shook myself back to reality, tearing my eyes from the mirror and turning the car the direction I was told. Rounding each corner, I was listening to everyone pass around quick wits and sarcastic comments, music quietly playing in the background. Finally, we reached our destination, which was an abandoned factory.  
“Where are we?” I asked, tentative to get out of the car.  
Nick nudged me toward the door, as Anna was rounding the car to get to him, “Come on,” he said, “It’ll be fun.”  
I slowly climbed out, still unsure of what was going on. Travis was pulling an old-fashioned stereo out of the back and some batteries, Lys was grabbing a cooler, Anna and Nick making lovey faces at each other in the flood lights of the factory, and myself, standing there, so out of place. “You guys are having another party? Here?”  
“Don’t say it like that!” Lys snapped as she fluttered by, carrying the cooler, that appeared to weigh more than she did, to the wall of the factory. I watched her as she bent down hands searching in the dark grass and plugged in a cord. Suddenly, Christmas lights lit up the entire place, and it almost looked beautiful. “Our dad owns this place and he lets me do this a few times a year, so long as nobody burns the place down, and we clean up afterward.”  
Travis piped up from behind me, “I’m sure she didn’t mean to offend the daughter of the owner of this absolutely gorgeous establishment.” I looked up and only saw his smile, big and broad and adorably lopsided. He edged around, careful not to bump into me, and he set the stereo down on a picnic table I missed by the door of the factory.  
“Play the tape I gave you!” Anna roared from a few feet away. Travis laughed, “Don’t yell, I can hear you fine. No one else is even here yet.”  
“Else?” I questioned.  
Anna looked down, muffling herself, “Did I not mention half the school is supposed to come out here?”  
I chuckled as I playfully slapped her on the shoulder, “No, it must have slipped your mind.”   
Nick smirked, “Who knows Ellie, maybe it’ll be your turn next.” He reached for Anna’s hand, illuminating it in purple glow.  
Anna laughed to herself, “A part of me thinks she doesn’t want to!”  
“Maybe I don’t.” I replied, spinning on my heel and walking away as Nick shouted from behind me “She was just kidding!”  
In my head, I was having this battle for maybe the 600th time about whether I really wanted to find my soul mate. I mean, we’re supposed to want it. It’s all we’re supposed to want in our world, even more than following our dreams or finding a good career, and it scares me. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to bring a future generation into a world like this. There are so many what ifs that make it terrifying: What if it never happens? What if we don’t like each other? What if it’s someone I’ve never met before? All of these questions rotate around my head again, and just when they are starting to make me feel dizzy, a hand touched my shoulder. As I jumped and turned, I see a red glow out of the corner of my eye and behind me is Lys with her hands at her sides.  
“What was that red light?” I questioned, confused.  
“Just my phone,” she held up her dim screened Blackberry, “You looked like you were about to fall over so I wanted to make sure you were okay. Are you?”  
“Oh,” I chuckled trying to be nonchalant, “I was just thinking, that’s all. I’m fine.”  
“Sure?” She looked puzzled. “You looked really unsteady.”  
“I’m sure, I promise.”  
Still looking like she didn’t believe me, Lys was interrupted by Arianna running up before she could say anything else. “Ellie!”  
“Hi Arianna, what’s going on?”  
“Your brother has been looking everywhere for you, your parents got worried when you disappeared from home. They called him to see if you were with us.”  
“Why wouldn’t they just call me?” I said, sliding my phone out of my pocket and flipping it open to call my mom. “They know I always leave twice with Anna.”  
I dialed my mom’s number and she answered on the second ring. “Ellie! Where have you been?”  
“Mom, calm down, I just went out with Anna to celebrate her change with her.” I added a silent eye roll.  
“You should have let us know! I went to your room to see if you were hungry and you were gone!”  
“You know I always leave, why is today different?”  
“Because it’s our turn to celebrate! Go with Arianna and come home. Now.”  
“Aye, aye captain.” I muttered to the now silent end of the phone. I turned to Arianna, “I guess I’m coming with you. Problem being I drove.”  
“Isn’t Anna, like, your next-door neighbor?” Lys chimed up.  
“Oh yeah,” Arianna realized, “you can come with me and have her bring your car back later.” She finished, grabbing up my keys and passing them to Lys, “Now say goodbye, Ellie!”  
“Goodbye Ellie.” I said mockingly, smiling at Arianna when she passed me a look that said, ‘I see what you did there.’ And I climbed into the passenger seat of Arianna’s truck, my mind reeling, trying to figure out where the red glow really came from.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

We pulled up outside my house, and the street was flooded with cars, as my brother ran outside to meet us, and I assumed to prep Arianna for the wave of crazy she was about to encroach upon that was our family. We made our way across the yard, and slowly opened the door to reveal a mess of blue, red, and purple. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and relatives we didn’t recognize, they all charged up hugging the newly made couple and congratulating them. Our grandmother was poking me in the side and telling that I better turn purple before she dies because she “ain’t leaving this world with only one grandbaby left.”  
I tried to escape to my room, to have my path blocked by my young cousin, Amelia, and the little boy from across the street, Dalton.  
“Cousin Ellie!” She shouted.  
“Yes, cousin Amy Lee?” I replied.  
“You know I hate that!” She swatted my leg.  
“You know that’s why I have to do, right?” I grinned down at her, “What’s going on little Amelia?”  
“Mommy said we can only go to the backyard and play tag in the dark if an adult comes with us, so will you come since you’re alone anyway?”  
“Oh, Amelia, always the little charmer.” I laughed. “Sure, I’d be happy to take you out, just let me find a flashlight.”  
As my backyard slowly became filled with small children, and the flood lights glowering over our property weren’t enough to keep an eye on them all, I had my flashlight at the ready. Laughter and silly screams filled the air, the sound of feet stomping on leaves and twigs. Every few minutes you hear the kids argue, “You’re it!”, “No I’m not, you didn’t touch me!”, “Yes I did, too!” Jackets being dropped in the cool autumn night over the heat of the running. I check the time on my phone, and it’s nearly three in the morning. And it’s then that I realize all the events of tonight happened on a Sunday, and I have the first day of senior year the next day. As I’m about to call the children in, I hear Amelia scream, and I bolt down the porch steps as I turn my flashlight on.  
As I make it to her, she’s poking Dalton’s cheek with a purple fingertip and screaming “Why are his cooties changing me? Am I gonna die now?”  
I laughed. “Oh sweetheart, this is the easy part.” I take her hand and walk her back to the house, into the living room, and I touch her hands to Dalton’s face for our family to see. The whole family started laughing; after all, a seven-year-old found her soul mate before I did. As I watched my Aunt June exchanging contact information with Dalton’s mother Maggie, it occurred to me that everyone I was surrounded by was turning purple, and I was alone. With that thought sticking in my brain, I bid my family a goodnight and ventured my way up the stairs to my room.  
As I laid on my bed, for hopefully the final time before I fell asleep, I thought about what it would mean if I ended up alone, never finding my soul mate. It might not be too bad, I thought, I wouldn’t have to worry about planning my life around another person, right? I could just follow my dreams. Yeah, follow my dreams…and I drifted off to sleep, to be awoken by my alarm clock three hours later.  
Groggily, I threw my feet over the side of the bed onto the floor. I had been so tired that I still my clothes on from the night before, so I traded one pair of skinny jeans for another, and a t-shirt for a tank top and jean jacket with Flower Power scrawled on the back from when it was my mom’s in the 70’s. I barely got my converse laced before I heard a horn coming from my driveway.  
I run outside to see Anna and Lys hanging out the back windows of my hand me down Jeep. Even though they were in fresh clothes, it looked as though they hadn’t slept a bit. They held their Starbucks cups high in the air and returned to honking the horn until I hopped in the driver’s seat.  
On the way to school, they recalled all the events from the party I missed, including our friend Mark trying to climb the side of the factory, just to fall and break his arm. Lys was so tired that she was braiding my hair from her spot in the backseat. As I pulled into the parking lot, I took the closest spot I could, which still left a good deal to walk. We climbed out of the car, book bags in tow, making our way passed the cheerleaders, waving to the ones we didn’t know, saying hi to the ones we did, courtesy of Anna’s popularity as being head cheerleader. Passing the jocks, I could visibly see the ones that were sad she found her match, because it meant they wouldn’t be.  
Tossing my messenger bag into my newly assigned locker, I recognized Travis a few feet away from me, watching me from his locker, and I wondered how I didn’t know him the night before. I scooped my Physics books up, shut my locker, and made my way over to talk to him. As I approached his locker, he slammed it shut and ran down the hall. Weird, I thought; file that under things to mention to Anna and Lys. Then the bell rang. Great. Late on the first day.  
Walking into Physics, I scanned the room and noticed Lys waving me down and pointing the empty seat next to her. I slid into the chair, laying my books down and wishing I had gotten more sleep as the teacher launched into reading the syllabus, as if it’s not the same thing for every teacher every year. I absentmindedly doodled in my notebook, until a note landed in front of me. I looked over at Lys and she shrugged, mouthing the words to tell me it wasn’t her. I looked around the room and no one was even glancing at our direction in the back of the room. I unfold the paper, and the words are typed out ‘I know what you are. Meet us at Mason’s Books at 4pm.’ Now I was confused. ‘What the hell does that mean? They know what I am?’ I held it over to Lys, who looked at me scared, but before I could ask her what was wrong, the bell rang dismissing the class, and she was gone. ‘Why are Lys and Travis acting so weird? And who the hell sent me that bizarre note?’ I’m so lost in my mind that I walked into the door of my English class. Lys and Travis are both there. Sitting as far from any open seats as they can, whispering until they see me. They fell silent and watched me as I made my way to the opposite corner of the room. I dropped into my seat, glancing up to see Lys’ scared eyes, until Travis pulled her around to face away from me.  
I ignored the teacher as she droned on about proper spacing on the essay she was already assigning about what we did over the summer, I kept watching Lys and Travis, hoping they would turn around and give me some indication of what was going on. Unfortunately, the two of them stayed tuned into what the teacher was talking about, so I gave up and started writing my essay while she was going over the usual template rules. Eventually, the bell finally rang, and I was able to escape, not seeing Lys or Travis leave the room.  
The rest of the day dragged on, without seeing Lys or Travis again. Anna told me that they had claimed family emergency and went home. When I showed her the note, she demanded she be allowed to come with me in case something happened, until she remembered she had cheerleading practice, so instead she called Nick and begged him to meet me there, though he didn’t take much convincing. Reluctantly on my part, I agreed to let him chaperone me, and promised to call her about whatever happens.  
Driving toward downtown Cortland, I was distracted. Passing shops and stoplights, I barely registered each stop I made in my head. My mind was racing, trying to figure out what the note giver could’ve been talking about. I’m a girl. I’m from a small town in the north east. I’m not anything by entirely ordinary. Even with my incredibly outcasted wardrobe, I’m not anything special. So, what the hell? Pulling closer to Mason’s Books, I didn’t see anyone except Nick. I pulled up beside him, climbed out of my car, and we headed into the front door.  
Mr. Mason sat behind the counter, a nice older man and I remembered his wife babysitting me when I was younger. He looked up from the store computer and smiled at me. “Little Ellie Daniels!” His voice boomed. “It’s been so long.”  
I laughed, “I was here three days ago, Mr. Mason, remember? You helped me find a copy of Catcher in the Rye.”  
“Oh, my dear,” he chuckled, “three days is a long time for an old man.” We smiled. “Now go, they are waiting for you downstairs.”  
Taking a deep breath, I had Nick in tow as we reached the basement door, and I slowly pushed it open. There was only a pull string light at the bottom of the stairs, so I slowly felt my way down, until I saw glowing paint that read the same words as note, ‘I know what you are.’ Then suddenly the lights came on, revealing Anna with Lys, Travis, and my family. Behind them was a banner with the words ‘You are 18!’ sprawled across it. I nearly fainted as I started laughing hysterically.  
“Anna, you little shit!” I yelled.  
“We got you this year, huh?” She laughed, grin broadening out her narrow face. “I asked Lys to get scared when you got the note so you wouldn’t see it coming. I mean you only turn 18 once, we had to do it right.”  
I pulled her into a tight hug, both of us still laughing. Nick piped up behind me, “I’m surprised she kept the secret, she told us the plan really early this morning and we had to give her a rubber band to snap against her wrist every time she thought about blurting it out to you because she was so excited.” Anna held up her slightly bruised wrist with a loose rubber band dangling on it as she muttered, “It wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be, the rubber band started losing its elasticity.” Nick bent and kissed her wrist. My mom started singing the dreadful happy birthday song, which led my father and other various relatives to join in, and the room filled with out of key words as my brother entered with a birthday cake, candles ablaze. I looked at the smiling faces staring back at me, the gentle glow of purple from the couples holding hands, and I realized my wish. ‘I wish I could figure out why I don’t want to turn purple.’ I thought to myself as I blew out the candles.  
For the next couple of hours, we danced, talked, ate cake and opened presents while my family pestered me to tell them my wish. My little cousins were running in circles around the adults from a sugar high when people started drifting out to head home. I piled the assortment of clothes my family bought into the back of my car as Jason walked up to me, making me promise to keep a secret.  
“Look,” he started, “I know you don’t believe in this whole soul mate thing, and I know you’ve told me that part of you wishes you’ll never turn purple because you don’t know if you’ll even like the person you’re destined to be with, but I believe in it and I need you to support me with this.”  
“What?” I laughed, “Are you gonna ask Arianna to marry you or something?”  
“Not exactly,” he holds up his shirt to reveal her name with a skeleton key tattooed in bold black across his pale blue chest. “She has mine with a lock.”  
“Jason, are you sure you want this? You just met her.” I ask him solemnly. He nodded his head. “You really believe she’s the one you’re meant to be with forever?” He nodded again. “Well then, big brother, I support you. And since I support you, I’m gonna warn you to lower shirt right now because mom’s coming.” I mumbled as her jerked his arm downward. “Hey, mom! Jason was just showing me a wicked bruise he got at football practice. Where’s dad?” I asked, quickly turning her attention to looking for my father.  
“Oh, he’s around here somewhere, sweetheart. I wanted to come give you a hug before we left and see if you’d bring Jason home with you, he rode with us so there’d be less cars to hide.”  
“Oh, totally mom, no problem. We’ll probably hang out with friends for a little while longer.”  
“Okay, dear. Just remember it is a school night and I know you already have homework.” She smiled. “We’ll see you tomorrow because I know you’ll be out late anyway. Happy birthday.” She kissed our foreheads and waved goodbye, calling out for my dad, who pulled up his SUV to pick her up. I watched as Lys and Travis headed out of the lot, waving them off.  
“Well, lover boy, looks like we should find some friends.” I announced as Arianna came running up behind me. “Never mind, I see you’ll be very busy.” I chuckled.  
“No, don’t be silly, Ellie!” Arianna chimed. “It’s your birthday, let’s go do something.” Jason got a devilish grin.  
“I have an idea,” he said, “I’ll even pay.”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The buzz of the machine filling the air, I looked up at Jason. “How in the hell did you convince me this was a good idea?” I questioned, my exposed thigh anticipating the touch of the needle. “You do realize mom and dad would kill us, right?”  
Jason laughed, “Well, it’s a good thing you’re 18 now then. But brace yourself, he’s about to start.” The cold tingle of the alcohol wipe and razor touched my skin, and I prepared myself for the pain of what was to come as I spent the next three hours getting the image of a raven with ‘Everything we see or seem is but a dream within a dream’ in script permanently imprinted onto my upper leg. The pain wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated, and I wrote my English essay while the artist worked and had a conversation with Jason and the man who identified himself as Skull Crusher but had a nametag on that said Ted. Turns out, Skull Crusher learned to tattoo from his dad, who owned the shop we were doing business in, and had refused to give him his first tattoo until he turned 18 as well. Jason called Anna and she met us at the shop with Nick, each of them deciding to schedule with Skull Crusher to get a tattoo the following weekend. Anna repeatedly telling me that she can’t believe I had the balls to get a tattoo before she did, to which I could only keep responding “Jason lent me his.” And I’m not even sure why that was all that would come out.  
By the end of the session, my leg had gone numb from the vibration of the machine and the angle it was resting, and I had to sit upright for ten minutes before we could leave. Shakily moving to my car, Jason and Arianna climbed in the back, Anna kissed Nick goodbye and climbed in up front. We started heading back through town toward the suburb which we called home, passing the streetlights and stop light after stop light. I checked the clock, and it was already two in the morning. “So much for sleep.” Anna mumbled from the passenger, her red fingers twirling the brown hair that drifted from her end of the night ponytail. I chuckled. She looked at me, “Sleep deprivation getting to you?” We both laughed, our stomachs growling. “Dinner time?” Anna smiled.  
“More like an early breakfast.” I laughed, pulling into the next McDonald’s drive thru. We parked with our food, laying on the hood of the car watching the last of the stars with the faint glow of dawn on the approach.  
“So…” Anna trailed, “What was your wish?”  
“I can’t tell you that!” I shouted, fake offended. “Then it won’t come true.”  
“Come on, Ellie.” She continued, “I saw that look of concentration on your face. This was a serious wish, not an ‘I want a pony’ wish.”  
“Curse you and your people reading skills.” I protested. “Honestly, I wished I knew why I don’t really care if I turn purple.”  
Anna sat quietly for a moment. Silence filling the air around us as we continued to eat of bagels. When she spoke, she did it quietly. “I’m sorry you feel that way. Honestly, I am. All any of us ever want our whole entire lives is to find who we are meant to be with, and I never realized you weren’t as excited for it as I was.”  
“Listen, it’s okay. Really. You didn’t know because I didn’t want you to, but I’m gonna move passed it. Eventually I’m going to turn purple and I’ll be as sickening as you and Nick are. Now get your lazy butt in the car, we still need to get showers and energy drinks for school.”

Pulling into the driveway, peeking in the back at Jason and Arianna sleeping, we only had time to wake them, shower, and get ready for school. Slowly, we all climbed out of the car and separated. Anna and Arianna to Anna’s house, Jason and I to ours. We got showered, changed, and right back in the car for the longest second day of school ever.  
We stopped at a gas station on the way in, Anna running in for Monsters and coffee, Arianna and Jason giggling to each other in the back seat. We saw a few kids from school stopping in the parking lot before Anna finally emerged. We each downed a whole energy drink before pulling back onto the road and heading toward a very long school day.  
I parked in the senior lot at school after dropping Jason off at the community college, and slowly grabbed my books and my bag, debating how much trouble I would get in if I just slept in my car instead of going to class. Suddenly, there was a knock at my window, and Lys was opening the door shouting we were gonna be late. Sure enough, we looked at the clock and it was only a few minutes from first bell, so we all hauled ass into the building. As I crashed into my desk in Physics class, I noticed I wasn’t seeing the teacher, who should’ve already been starting class. Lys and I are discussing the possibilities of what happened to her, when the principal comes in.  
“Quiet down everyone.” Mr. Johnson said quickly. “Ms. Phelps will not be in today, as she went to the theater last night and met her match at the concession stand as he was passing her popcorn. This is Mr. Morgan, your substitute for the next week. Be courteous.” And with the abrupt finish, he was out of the room, and this frightened, small man was left.  
Mr. Morgan wasn’t much to look at. Just by his posture and appearance, it was obvious he was a geek in his early years. Without a word, we watch as he starts writing on the board. He turned to reveal the scientific equation. “Now I know you weren’t supposed to start this chapter until later in the year,” he said sounding like Matthew Gray Gubler from Criminal Minds, “but if you all don’t mind, I would like to skip ahead. Can anyone tell me what equation I have written up here?”  
Lys sheepishly raises her hand, waiting to be called on. From our seats in the back of the room, Mr. Morgan was prompting the class without noticing. Travis coughs and mumbles under his breath “In the back.” Mr. Morgan jumps a little, seeing Lys’ hand raised. “Yes, miss, and you are…” he mumbles as he glances at the seating chart, “Melyssa Chaplin?”  
“Just Lys, please.” Her red skin growing ever darker under the blush of her face. “It’s the equation for radioactive decay of uranium.” She squeaked out, barely audible. I was drawn to extend my arm and pat her shoulder, but something in the back of my head warned me not to touch her here and my hand stopped short. “Did you have a question miss…Daniels?” Mr. Morgan uttered, seeing my outstretched arm.  
“Uh, yeah. Um, I was just wondering…like um, why are we skipping ahead?” I stammered out, hoping it was a believable enough reason.  
“Yes, miss, I see. Well, I wanted to test to see how many of you read ahead in your textbooks, but it appears that it’s only Miss Chaplin, so we will go back to where you are now.” Mr. Morgan began droning on and on about the Bernoulli Equation. Quietly I sat at my desk, doodling without paying attention. A note landing in my lap.  
‘You look a thousand miles away right now.’  
I stifled a laugh as I glanced to Lys, who appeared to be studiously taking notes, but met my gaze for a brief moment. I wrote back, ‘Well, with this voice to listen to I wish I was.’  
‘Well don’t go too far away. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find you before lunch. Ha-ha!  
‘You know I’d never leave you hanging like that.’ I pass her the note and go back to my absentminded doodling.  
‘Is that supposed to be me?’  
I looked down at my paper to see the picture I had drawn was of Lys’ beautiful face. I hadn’t realized what my hands had done until she mentioned it, and my brain was struggling to explain why I drew her. I stammered to whisper something, anything to explain to this enchantress that haunted my dreams at night. Finally, I managed to etch out the words, ‘It’s actually for you.’ Suddenly as I was passing the paper to her, our fingers brushed, and I witnessed this glow I had seen before. I briefly remembered the party at the factory when I saw the same glow, she had said was her phone. I snapped my hand back, looking at her. Abruptly, I heard Mr. Morgan’s voice demanding to know what the light was. Lys pulled a small laser pointer out of her pocket, raising it in the air to be confiscated. He took it, walking back to the chalk board to continue his lecture. I stared at my desk, unsure what to say to Lys. Before I could think of anything, the bell rang, and my feet were taking me down the hall, and out of the school.   
My pace finally began to slow as I approached an old playground. I sat down on a swing trying to process what was going on, why I felt the yearning to go back to her. I began to cry. For the first time since I hit puberty, I let the emotions running through my head run free and I openly cried in a children’s park in the middle of the day when I should’ve been in school. After what seemed like ages, I checked my phone and noticed I had three unread messages. The first being the basic parent’s school-called-and-said-you-bailed message from my mom, and the second being Anna saying that she was worried about since she hadn’t seen me at lunch. As I opened the third, I felt my stomach in my throat. An unknown number? ‘Meet me at six o clock in the basement of Mason’s Books. We need to talk.’ I looked at the time, and it was already passed two. I needed to go back to the school and get my car and talk to Anna.  
“Are you nuts?” I muttered to myself aloud. “What are you going to say to her...But if I don’t talk to her, who will I talk to?” My mind raced. It’s not like I could meet someone that texted me so cryptically without telling someone that’s where I’d be right? “I guess I could just ask Jason to cover for me while I run to the bookstore. He won’t ask many questions.” I pull out my phone and send him a text, being as vague as possible, and within a few minutes he agrees, but I need to get him from school and run him home first. “Great. Going back after leaving like a crazy person.”  
I climb in my car and wait as school lets out, and I drive down to the community college where Jason is waiting outside.  
“Are you okay? Anna and Arianna have been blowing my phone up since you left. They’re really concerned.” He looked puzzled.  
“I know, I’m sorry. Just thinking about a lot today is all. Let me just drop you home so I can take care of some things. Cover for me with mom and dad.”  
“Take care of some things? You said you had to go to the bookstore.” He stared at me as I pulled up to the house and he unbuckled himself. “I’m not getting out of the car until you tell me what is going on.” Jason peered so deep into my eyes; I was afraid he could see my very soul. And it was terrified. “Ellie.”  
“Jason, it’s a long story. I promise I’ll tell you, just right now I have to go.”  
He clicked his seat belt back in place, “Then explain on the way.”  
“Jason, I- “  
“No buts Ellie. Something is clearly going on, and I can see that you’re scared. I am your brother after all, I’m not gonna let you go through this alone.”  
His phone started to ring, and I saw Arianna’s name pop up. I waited, expecting him to say he had to go, and he’d see me later, because that’s always what happens when someone finds their match, they blow off everyone else. But instead, he silenced the call, texted her that he was busy with me, and told me to drive. He kept talking on the way to the bookstore, at times trying to get me to tell him what was going, and other times just talking like we used to before he graduated high school. It felt like no time had passed when I pulled into the bookstore and parked the car among the others.  
I stared at my hands, trying to find the courage to get out of the car. I heard his voice beside me, “Ellie, really. What’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The clock read 5:30. I looked at Jason, my brain overloading with something I didn’t understand.  
“I’m meeting someone.”  
“Who? Who has you so scared?”  
“To be honest with you, Jason, I have no idea.”  
“Meeting strangers isn’t like you, Ellie. Why are you meeting them?”  
And like that, something in me snapped. I cried again, not knowing where to begin, but I felt the words flowing freely out of me on their own. I told him about what happened in Physics, and the bizarre text message, and about how I’ve been stuck on Lys since I met her, and about the glow the night of the factory party. Jason sat there intently listening. Not interrupting or stopping me as I talked and cried. Eventually I finished, and he looked deep in thought. After a minute, he unclicked his seat belt and opened his door. “Well, I guess we better get in there.”  
“What?”  
“I can’t begin to understand what’s happening, and I don’t plan to lecture you because you don’t know what’s happening either, but I do plan to keep you from doing this alone.”  
I hugged him. “I love you, Jason.”  
“I love you too, sis. Now let’s go.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Walking into Mason’s Books, I noticed that there were more cars outside than there were people in the relatively small store. Abby Mason, the 15-year-old daughter of the owners, was behind the register, where she waved and smiled as we entered. I walked over and she simply said, “They are waiting downstairs,” before turning back to the customer she was ringing up. I looked at Jason who had his eyebrows raised. He turned on his heel and walked over to the basement door.  
“Are you ready?”  
I took a deep breath and nodded. He pulled open the door and we heard voices we recognized from around town. I slowly climbed down the stairs, Jason trailing close behind. I started to see familiar faces, like Mrs. Johansson, the owner of the local grocery store Chopped Liver, Mr. and Mrs. Mason, Mr. Morgan, and a few other shop owners and classmates. As I reached the bottom, they were watching me, their idle chatter ceasing. I saw a banner in the corner that read ‘Welcome Oasis members’, and I watched them back. Wondering who had brought me here. After a few minutes of searching the room, I noticed Lys hidden away in the corner. I wondered if she brought me here. Jason kept his hand firmly on my shoulder, and I could tell that until we had an explanation, he wasn’t going to let me out of his sight. We took a seat in the corner and waited. Next thing I know, Mrs. Johansson was speaking to the room.  
“I would like to welcome our new members.” She spoke with a genuine smile on her face, motioning for myself and Lys to join her in the front. “While you all know Ellie from around town, this is Lys. Ellie’s match.” My brain froze hearing the words. She took my hand in hers and put Lys’s hand in mine. The red began to glow brighter than before, and neither of us pulled away. I looked at Lys, and she was smiling. The most beautiful smile I had ever seen, so pure and so genuine. I saw Travis in the back, tears in his eyes while he smiled at his sister. I had to speak; my confusion was mounting. I felt like I was the only one that didn’t know what was going on.  
“Wait.” I started, and Lys’s smile faltered for a second. “I don’t understand. What do you mean my match? I thought only red and blue could match.”  
Mrs. Johansson looked at Lys, “You didn’t talk to her?”  
Lys shook her head, “I never had the chance.”  
Mrs. Johansson sighed before turning her attention to the rest of the room, “We’ll need some time, how about we meet again next week?” The various members nodded at the awkwardness of the situation, before getting up to leave. Eventually, just the five of you were left.  
Jason breaks the silence, “I think I need a drink.” Travis laughs and nods his head.  
I look at Mrs. Johansson, confused. “What is going on, Mrs. Johansson?”  
She smiles gently. “Please dear, call me Alaine. There’s a lot of things we need to explain. The first being, while it is widely believed only a blue and a red can match, it isn’t true. However, you can only match with one person.” She grabbed my hand. “You see how there is no color change?” We nod, and she places Lys’s hand in mine. The glow begins to brighten again. “This, my dear Ellie, is your match.” She smiled for a moment. “But I must warn all of you, not everyone in this town is accepting of these matches. Ellie, Jason, when I matched a young woman when I was your age, your parents were there. They were the first ones to criticize us, and we had to play it off as a prank to be able to keep our lives here.”  
I looked at Jason, and he took my free hand. “Whatever it takes to keep my sister happy and here is worth it. Even if we have to lie to our parents. We’ll figure it out.”  
She nodded. “It’s so nice you have someone like this in your life.” She looked up at Travis. “I understand you matched with a young man at the local university.” He nodded shyly, and a tall man Jason’s age with curly brown hair that only covered the top of his head came around the corner. “Then you need to work together. My husband matched with a man when we were younger, and that man married my match so that we could be together and not raise suspicion.”  
Jason gave her a curious look. “So, what you are saying is that Ellie and Travis should pretend they matched, while Lys and…” he paused.  
The man looked up, “Percy.”  
“While Lys and Percy pretend they matched. Am I understanding, right?”  
She looked at Jason with a serious face, “I am not saying they have to pretend like that. I am just saying that it has been what has helped myself and Eleanor stay in each other’s lives.”  
I started laughing, “Wait what? Mrs. Mason is your match? But I’ve seen her and Mr. Mason hold hands.”  
Alaine smiled, holding up one finger, and walking to her podium. She pulled out four small boxes, handing each of us one. “If you decide that this is how you want to do things, at least for now, you can take these. Just wear them with sleeved shirts and nobody will know the difference.” I opened it and saw a small pair of red skin colored gloves. “My cousin works in the prop department for movies, but has a background in IT, and he managed to develop these for me. They are machine washable, so don’t worry about getting them dirty. Slide them on and I’ll show you how they work.”  
I slid the glove over my hand, and like something you would see in a Sci-Fi movie, it disappeared up to the wrist, looking like my regular hand.  
“Now, Travis, approach Ellie, and place your gloved right hand in the air in between you. Good.” She pressed our hands together at the fingertips, and slowly down the rest of the hand. She motioned for Lys and Percy to do the same. “Now, do the same thing with your gloved left hand. Good. Now release your hands.” I pulled my hands away. “Ellie, please touch Travis’s forehead, like a mother checking her baby’s temperature.” We glowed purple.  
“What the hell?” I snapped my hand back. I looked at her. She was still smiling. “Wait…” I walked over to Percy. Slowly, I reached my hand and touched his forearm. Nothing. I turned to her again. “When we put our hands together…it like syncs up or something doesn’t it?”  
“Precisely, my dear. Now, when you take off the gloves, your true match will show, and when you have them on, you will match Travis. If you don’t want to use them, I understand, but I encourage you to take them with you in case you change your mind. The gloves will not react to another person wearing them because they sync with your fingerprints as well. For instance, if you take them off at home, and your mother slides it on, it will look like a regular glove on her.”  
“This is some heavy stuff.” Jason said. “How about that drink now? I’m buying.”  
I laughed. “Jason, as much as I would love to take you up on that, I think maybe dinner would be good right about now. Call Arianna to meet us at Denny’s and I’ll buy. Would you like to join us Mrs. Johansson?”  
She smiled again. “Thank you, sweetheart, but I’ve got a husband and a wonderful woman waiting for me upstairs. You enjoy. Be careful who you trust with this knowledge. Your brother seems like a good confidant.” She waved goodbye as she made her way up the stairs.  
“So.” Lys began, “how do we want to go about this now?”  
We were silent for a moment.  
“I think…” Percy stammered to collect his words, as he held Travis’s hand. “I think we should wear the gloves in public for a while. She’s right, we don’t know who will accept us, and it will be nice to be able to touch you without worrying about what will happen.”  
“I agree.” Jason said. “You can tell people you truly trust right now, but it’ll be better to protect yourselves for now.”  
Lys nodded. “Alright then. So, Percy is my date for the evening. To Denny’s then?”  
“To Denny’s!” We cheered.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The next morning as I got ready for school, my mother lectured me on bailing out during my senior year.  
“I told the principal you were having lady trouble, and he stopped questioning it.” My dad said matter-of-factly after my mom left the room, and I laughed. He smiled, “I got your back kiddo, I know senior year drags and school is the last place you want to be. Did you put any more thought into where you want to go after you graduate?”  
I sighed and his smiled wavered. “Dad, you know she isn’t going to change her mind, why do you bother asking?” Jason laughed as he entered the room.  
“Well, it just bums me out that you stayed here and went to community college and your sister wants to go all the way across the country.”  
Jason and I chuckled, “Dad, you know I didn’t have a choice to go to a big university. It was local all the way for me. But Ellie, she has dreams and ambitions and a 4.3 GPA, which shouldn’t be possible. You need to loosen the umbilical cord and give her some room.”  
I smiled at my dad, “I love you guys, and it’s not like I won’t come back and visit. Mr. Mason has a friend there that will give me a job as soon as I start school.” My acceptance letters to CalTech stuck on the fridge, like a reminder to him that I would flying the coop any day.  
My mom walked in looking happier, “This depressing conversation is not one we will be having over breakfast. Now everyone, sit while the pancakes are hot.”  
Jason nudged me, “Looks like someone took their valium early this morning.” He whispered as he passed the syrup. I stifled a laugh.  
“What’s so funny over there?” My mother smiled over the stack of flapjacks.  
“Oh, he just made a joke Mrs. Butterworth’s boobs.” I joked, my dad erupting into laughter. My mom looked horrified, as though I had just vomited all over her homemade breakfast.  
“Since my appetite is ruined, I’m going to get dressed to run some errands.” My mother stated as she stood at the table.  
“Come on, sweetheart. The kids were just joking. Please, sit, eat.” My dad smiled, tugging her nightgown to the chair. Allowing her medicine to get the better of her, she smiled and sat once again.  
After eating in silence, we excused ourselves to get dressed for the day. The music playing in my room blocked out any thought of the night before. At least, until I heard a knock on my door.  
“Mom? I’m getting dressed, what do you want?” I opened the door with my shirt in my hand, and exercise bra on, to find Lys on the other side.  
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” She spun around and covered her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d open the door if you weren’t ready.”  
I laughed, looking in the hall for my parents before grabbing her hand. The red glow filled my heart with peace I had never felt before she came into my life. “Lys don’t be so embarrassed. They’re just boobs, and half the girls at the gym work out like this.” I gently pulled her into the room. “So, where’s Travis?” I asked, “I usually see you two together.”  
“Oh, he’s in with Jason. Trying not to look too suspect, I guess. I think he figures it would be weird to be in a girl’s room and then later you ‘miraculously’ match, you know? Besides, isn’t the plan for your parents to see you two outside.” She frowned ever so slightly.  
I threw my shirt over my head and pulled it down, “What’s wrong?” I took her hand in mine again.  
“It just sucks that I have to pretend that you are my brother’s soul mate.”  
“I know. But,” I kissed her cheek, “my parents are going out of town this weekend for my dad’s business trip, so how about we have a movie night here. Travis can invite Percy, Jason will invite Arianna, and Nick and Anna can come too.” I brushed my fingers along her face, and she closed her eyes.  
“I would really like that. Does that mean we’re gonna tell them?”  
“If the time is right.” I kissed her forehead. Just as we separated, my bedroom door came open and in walked my mother carrying a god-awful pea soup colored dress. “Mom, no.”  
“Oh, please sweetie, this dress feels so lucky! Maybe you’ll meet your match today!”  
I glanced at Lys, then to the clock behind. “Oh, that sucks mom, I’m already dressed and I’m gonna be late if I change,” I pointed at the clock, faking a look of disappointment. “Sorry!” I bolted out of the room, leaving poor Lys in the room with her, but thankful I had left the gloves in my car. As I shut my door and threw my book bag in the back of my car, Lys made her way out with Travis and I slid my gloves on under my sleeves.  
As my parents came outside with Jason, my mother still chasing me with the dress, I climbed out and whispered to Travis, “Are you ready?” He nodded almost imperceivably.  
Lys made a big show of her role in the moment, “Hey, by the way, have you ever met my twin brother? Travis, this is Ellie. Ellie, this is Travis.”  
“It’s so nice meet a young lady such as yourself.” He said, extending his hand. I took a deep breath, “Yes, it’s nice to meet you too.” I smiled, taking his hand in mine, the purple glow emanating.  
“Ohmygoodness! Richard, get the camera!” My mother shouted, running toward us and sweeping the three of us into a hug. “Get in the house, we need to make party arrangements.”  
Jason came jogging down the driveway, “No can-do mom, Ellie here was telling me last night about a big test she already has in history today. Right, Ellie?”  
“Oh yeah, big test. History. Today. Right, Lys?”  
She nodded along, “Yup, big test. On the French…Indian…Spanish war.”  
My mother stopped, the valium making her brain run a bit slow, “I didn’t know there was one.”  
I threw my hands up in a shrug, “Neither did we! And that’s why we have a test on it. See you later mom.”  
We sped out of the driveway, racing to get away from the awkwardness we were all feeling. “Lys,” Jason began, “when do you meet Percy’s family?”  
“Monday, I think. They are out of town until Sunday night, so Travis is actually staying with him all weekend after the family party at your house tonight. Which reminds me, it’s time for the well-crafted text to mom about the party.” She pulled out her phone, typing away from her seat up front. I turned the music up and held out my hand, she slid her fingers to intertwine with mine.  
We sang our hearts out, hoping the days of lying would get easier. I stopped at Arianna’s house on the way to the community college, letting go of Lys’s hand once she was in the car. I saw Jason watching her with googly eyes in the rearview mirror, and for once I was jealous. I was jealous because now I knew that I wasn’t destined to be alone, but I still had to hide it from the world. I felt Lys nudge my arm as I pulled up in front of the community college, as if reminding me that she was still here. I flexed my fingers, the gloves feeling tight though they were light as air.  
Arianna perched herself between the front seats, “So, where did you go yesterday, Ellie?”  
“Nowhere important.” I grinned at her, “Just forgot about a test and left before I could take it.”  
She laughed, “Yeah, like you’ve ever had to worry about a test. Until Lys and Travis moved here, not a single person has ever been able to rival your GPA. Try again.”  
I looked at Lys incredulously, “Which one of you rivals me now?” She raised her hand smirking. “I can’t believe it!”  
She chuckled, tapping her temple, “Eidetic memory. How else would I get accepted into one of the greatest technical institutes in the country?”  
My mouth gaped open, and Travis started laughing in the back seat. “Yeah Ellie, you aren’t the only one that got accepted to CalTech. I saw the letter on your fridge this morning. I still can’t believe you both applied last year. And I get to go to Alabama State.” Travis groaned.  
“I take it you don’t want to?” I looked at him through the rearview mirror.  
“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I want to go to Ohio State for journalism, but my plan is already set.”  
Lys looked at her hands. “He got into Ohio State, too. But he thinks he has to go to Alabama because that’s what they want.”  
“I take it this is your parents’ plan? Why don’t you just tell them what you want to do?” I asked.  
“I wish it was that easy.” He patted my shoulder, and the purple speckled up for a moment. Arianna gasped, and I grabbed his hand behind my seat. Parking at the high school, I already wished the school day was over so I could go back to bed, as Arianna asked when it happened, and how we never noticed before. “Easy,” Travis said, “We didn’t touch until this morning. We were around each other with you guys, but I guess we just thought, ‘What are the chances?’ I mean our best friends already matched, what were the chances?” We got out of the car and he passed me my book bag, tucking one of my frizzy white hairs back behind my ear.  
“Honestly, it was a surprise for all of us.” Lys jumped in. “But her parents are already throwing a party.” She started to laugh. “I assumed you’ve already been invited.”  
“That explains that weird text from your mom with just today’s date and a time.” She muttered, staring at her phone. “Have you told Anna?”  
“Told me what?” Anna chirped, bouncing up beside my car. “Since you guys left without me today and I had to ride in with my mom.” She waved a thumb over her shoulder, to her mom getting her test papers out of the car.  
“Hi Mrs. Chaplin!” We waved.  
“Oh, hello dears! Ellie, congratulations, your mom told me the good news. I assume you’ll be in class to make up that quiz?”  
“Wouldn’t miss it Mrs. Chaplin.” I groaned. I turned back to Anna, “We had a good reason for leaving in such a rush. My mom had the ugliest dress she was trying to force me into putting on.”  
She frowned, “So I suppose this dress is why you didn’t tell me about you and Travis?”  
“That’s not fair. I was driving.” I frowned back at her.  
She groaned, “Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I guess I forgive you. So, party at your house tonight huh?”  
“Unfortunately,” I forced a laugh. “I get to be surrounded by my family that thought I was going to be alone forever, who wouldn’t want that?”  
“Don’t forget our family!” Travis chimed up, grabbing my hand.  
“Oh, yeah. I get to make awkward first impressions on everyone’s family.” I grumbled. “Can we change the subject now?”  
Anna held up her hand to reveal a shiny new promise ring, “We could talk about this.” The smile that broadened her face revealed her pearly whites. It was wonderful to see her so happy. “He gave it to me at dinner last night.”  
“That’s so romantic,” Arianna gushed. The warning bell rang, “Whelp, off to class.”  
We went our separate ways. Travis, Lys, and I off to Physics for another exhilarating lecture with Mr. Morgan, while Arianna was off to art, and Anna went to her mother’s history class.

It’s weird how fast things move here. One day you are alone and planning for college and a life, and suddenly everything is different.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

That night we pulled in the driveway, making sure the gloves were on tight. I kissed Lys’s cheek and squeezed her hand to reassure her. Deep breaths through the car, and we all climbed out, preparing to meet the distant relatives on both sides of our families. I take Travis’s hand in mine, walk through the front door of the house, and get sucked away in the whirlwind of bodies. My grandmother and aunts gushed over how cute he was, my father and uncles were impressed that he was a sports star and captain of the school’s track and swim teams. My mom was in the corner of the room, watching us, smiling and crying. I walked over to her, through the throngs of people congratulating me and asking me questions about our plans for the future. I grabbed a tissue, wiping her face. “Mom, what’s wrong?” I smiled at her.  
“Oh, nothing, sweetheart. Just hard to believe both my babies will be out of here soon.”  
“Mom, it’ll be okay. We’re always gonna be there for you, and we’ll always come visit. It’s not the end of the world, it’s just college.”  
“I know, princess. I know you’re only a phone call away if we need you or something happens, and I know you can’t wait to get out of this small town, but it’s hard seeing the little girl I gave birth to and raised grow up and find the man she is going to marry. I never had a doubt it would happen for your brother, but I was afraid it would be years down the road before you found your match.” I bit the inside of my lip as she continued, “Honestly sweetie, it might be the wine I had that is making me tell you all this, but I really thought that if you found your man, it was going to be years from now. But I don’t have to worry about you anymore.”  
My dad came up, “Everything okay with my girls?” He smiled brightly. I choked down the urge to tell them how much of a lie this all was.  
“Yeah, dad,” I grinned up at him, squeezing mom’s hand, “Everything’s okay here.”  
“That’s good to hear, kiddo. I gotta tell you, everyone is loving Travis. He’s going to make a great son in law, and his parents aren’t bad either.”  
“Speaking of which,” I glanced across the room at Lys talking to her parents, “I should acknowledge them.” I eased my way through the masses until I was beside Lys. I extended my hand to her parents, “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Ellie.”  
Mr. Chaplin took my hand, kissing the back of it. I smelled her mother’s perfume that reminded me of the apple festival in late September. “We’ve heard great things about you, Ms. Daniels. Well, from Lys at least,” her mother glanced up at Travis, who shrugged, “I can’t believe you got into colleges so far away from each other, I mean what are the chances that you would get accepted to the same little college in California as Lys while he’s all the way at Alabama State.”  
I glanced at Lys, who was watching her feet. “Well, I don’t think it’s fair to refer to one of the top tech universities in the country as a little college. It’s one of the greatest choices to study engineering and science.” I could tell they were all uncomfortable by what I said.   
“We’re just saying that we know he’s going somewhere that is going to do a lot of good for his future.”  
I was starting to get angry. “And this school isn’t good for her future? Seriously, how are you telling me that a school, that isn’t even ranked in the list of best colleges, is better than a school ranked in the top 15? Is it because she is expected to give up her dream now that she has a match?”  
Their father’s mouth hung open; their mother looked offended. “No, we absolutely do not expect her to give up her future.” She paused. “Unless they get married before college.”  
“If she gets married, you expect her to give up her dream to follow Percy,” I stared at her in disbelief. “And what about if Travis and I married? Which of us would be expected to drop our plans? I mean honestly, I look forward to learning from some of the top minds in the world to further my career. I’m sure Travis is excited to go to Alabama to study…I’m sorry Travis, I have no idea what you plan on studying there.”  
Travis shifted on his feet. “Business. I’m set to inherit my dad’s company after we graduate.”  
“I see. So, if I were to marry Travis, I’m expected to move to Alabama? To give up a dream of working with NASA to follow him to another state so that he can follow in your footsteps and run a company that he doesn’t even want?”  
Travis gasped. “How dare you.” Their father said, staring at me. “No one has ever spoken to us like that.”  
“It’s sounds as though you think you’re better than our son.” Their mother said, eyes narrow and voice low to prevent drawing attention.  
“And it sounds to me as though you’d rather talk up your son, while talking down his twin sister. I don’t think I’m better than Travis. I just think Lys is better than this.” I saw Percy walk in over her shoulder, and I knew that he had already met Lys’s parents as her match. “Now, why don’t you talk to Percy? Because quite frankly I need a minute to myself to understand why his education and plan is more important than hers.” I turned on my heel, and walked away, Travis coming after me.  
“Are you nuts?” He whispered. “Lys wants them to like you, so it’ll be easier to tell them about you in the future.”  
“And when they find out I want them to understand that I’m not okay with them degrading what she wants to do with her life. Do they talk down on her like that to Percy?”   
Travis looked at his feet. “Whether or not you were trying to protect her, you shouldn’t have done that. Now, she’s upset with our parents, and with you. I’m gonna take her home.”  
“No, please don’t go. I’ll go apologize.”  
“Don’t bother if you don’t mean it. I know they rubbed you the wrong way, they do it to everyone, but it really sucks that you had to go there with them. We have to deal with the aftermath.”  
“You know, you’re right. I’m sorry to put you guys in that spot. I think I’m gonna go.” I headed for the front door, the cool air hitting my face. “Life is getting so hard.” I said to myself.  
“Oh, it’s not that bad.” I spun around to see Mr. Chaplin behind me.  
“Hello again, Mr. Chaplin.” I looked at my feet. “I’m sorry about my outburst earlier.  
“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart.”  
I looked up, “What?”  
He grinned at me, “To be honest with you, I don’t want to give Travis my company. I know he doesn’t want it. He wants to be a sports journalist, and I support that, in private. My wife is set in the way she thinks life should go on. I wanted to laugh when you spoke to her like that.” I stared at him, unsure how to feel. “Really, kid. It was the funniest thing I’ve seen in months. I want Travis to follow his dream, and I want Lys to do this same. I’m gonna need you to look after her all the way out on California. Can you do that for me?”  
I smiled at him, “I sure can, Mr. Chaplin.”  
He smiled back, “Please, call me dad. I mean we are going to be family eventually, right? It might take a while before you can win my wife back over, but I’m sure we can convince her. And if not, then you won’t have a mother in law to bother you because she’ll avoid any chance of conflict.” He paused, grinning, “So please come to every family holiday.”  
I laughed, “I don’t know if Lys and Travis would appreciate that.”  
Mr. Chaplin’s face went more serious, “Sweetheart, come here. I want you to be completely honest with me for a minute.” He paused, searching my face for something. “Are you wearing the gloves?”  
I froze. Unsure what to say or do in this situation. “I-uh I don’t know what you mean- “  
“It’s okay,” He smiled slightly, “I know all about the gloves. The kids don’t know that my little brother used them. I see the way Travis looks at Percy, something about it didn’t add up for me when he called me about you. If I had to think about it, I’d say you matched with Lys.” I looked behind him, into the house. I saw Lys watching us. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. I want my kids to tell me in their own time. Just be sure you don’t tell my wife. She thinks my brother and I have severed ties, but she doesn’t know that he’s set to take the company if I die.” I looked at him, the sternness in his face, “She’s still going to get profits from the company when I’m gone. And I know, you’re probably wondering why we keep saying ‘when I’m gone.’ And since I’ll be your father in law, one way or another, I’ll cut you in on the secret. I have a tumor. It’s inoperable, and while I’m not dying yet, the doctors don’t know when I will, so we’re prepared.”  
I thought about everything he said. “Can I be honest with you?” He nodded. “I appreciate that you are willing to accept us. Even after everything I just said to you guys. I encourage you to tell Travis that you want him to follow his dream, because he thinks that his only option is to go to Alabama.” He pursed his lips nodding, I continued, “On another note, my parents are going out of town this weekend. And we are not throwing a party or drinking, but I would really like it if Lys could stay here. Our little group is going to be doing a movie marathon.”  
“I can accept this, but if my wife asks, she’s staying at Anna’s house and Percy isn’t going to be there. Travis is staying at Nick’s house.”  
“Yes, sir.” I smiled, “You know, you aren’t half bad, Mr. Chaplin.” He gave me a look, “I’m sorry. Dad.”  
He smiled, “I know.”  
Lys came outside to join us, “What’s going on out here?” Her face showed concern that I had yelled at her dad again.  
“Oh, nothing, baby girl.” He smiled down at her to ease her anxiety, “I like your little friend here. Now, if you excuse me, I’m gonna leave you alone and go talk to your brother about his future.” He nodded to me, I nodded back, and he headed into the house, closing the door behind him.  
“I’m sorry, Lys. I didn’t mean to yell at your parents. I just hated seeing them talk like you weren’t allowed to have a dream.”  
She smiled softly, the anger and concern fading from her face, “I know, sweetie. My mother tends to bring out the worst in people.”  
I took her hand in mine. “I still should’ve held my composure better. But I did just have a lovely conversation with your dad. He said you guys could stay this weekend if you want to, but if your mom asks, you are staying at Anna’s, Travis is staying at Nick’s, and Percy won’t be there.” I thought about telling her that he knew about us. But I remembered what he said about wanting her to tell him when she felt ready and held my tongue.  
“Really?” Her eyes brightened as the smile spread across her face. “Harry Potter marathon!” I laughed. She looked at me, “Can we please go for a walk? I told Travis to distract them until we get back.”  
“Of course, cutie pie. Anything you wanna do.” I took her hand in mine, and we walked down the street toward the neighborhood park. The moon lighting our more than the streetlights scattered ahead of us. I looked at her, the rays of light shining off her beautiful raven hair and glowing from her green eyes. I pulled my hand away to take my gloves off. I tucked them into my pocket and grabbed her hand tight. The red glow soothing me to the core and reminding me that we belonged together. It hadn’t been long, but I could feel that I loved her already.  
I was still watching her when she looked over at me, “What? Do I have something on my face?” She brought her hand up to wipe it away, and I took it in my other hand.  
I bit my lip; afraid she might reject me. “Yeah, actually you do. This.” I wrapped my arms around her, gently placing my hand behind her head, and I pulled her in and kissed her crimson lips. She leaned into me, for a moment, before we pulled away. “Whoa.”  
“Yeah,” she giggled, “whoa.”  
“I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been wanting to do that since I first saw you.”  
She laughed out loud. “You mean when you walked into that pole?”  
I grinned, laughing at myself. “Yeah, I was really hoping you hadn’t seen that.” I focused on my feet.  
She grabbed my chin tenderly and tilted my head up. “Don’t be embarrassed. It was cute. You were staring at me like a creep,” she laughed, “but it was cute.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the swing, sitting her down. I started pushing her, getting her so high my hands could barely graze the bottom of the seat. I could hear the swing set squeaking and jumping from the momentum. “This is too high! I’m gonna fall!”  
“You won’t fall, but you need to calm down.” As the words rolled off my tongue, she leaned forward flailing her legs as the swing swayed downward and back, and she fell off the front. As she hit the ground, I could her a snap come from her ankle.  
“Oh geez, don’t move!” I yelled over her groans. “I’m going to call Jason to bring my car here and I’ll take you to the hospital.”

An hour later, we were sitting in an exam room while the doctor put a walking cast on her ankle. “I’m so sorry, Lys.”  
She laughed, the medicine the nurse gave her kicking in. “This isn’t your fault, Ellie. I fell off because I freaked out. I haven’t been on a swing set in the longest time. I forgot how to stay calm.”  
“Well, I hope the next time is a much better experience.” I beamed down at her.  
The doctor stood up, “I’m done here Miss Chaplin. You’re free to go, be careful how much you walk on that, and keep it elevated when you sit down. Have a good night you two.”  
I looked at the clock. It was already 10:45. “We need to get home. Want to crash at my house tonight? I can lend you clothes for school and take you home tomorrow to get stuff for the weekend.”  
“That sounds lovely. Anything to get some sleep as soon as possible.”


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

I woke up to my alarm clock and could already hear Lys singing in the bathroom of my room while she got ready. I knocked on the door before popping my head in, “Hey, why didn’t you wake me up?”  
She beamed at me, “But you looked so cute! I didn’t to ruin it.” She giggled at me, smirking, “besides, you talk in your sleep.”  
“Oh, I so do not.” I dragged the so out to emphasize the outrageousness of the notion.  
“You totally do,” she grinned again, “and you kept talking to me. It was really just so funny it became adorable as you kept going.”  
“Ellie! Lys! Jason! Time for breakfast!” My mom called up the stairs. She always hated that Anna would climb the tree outside my window just to play her late-night games of taking me out after I was planning on going to bed. But we did it anyway.  
I grunted in frustration, “Ugh!” I threw on my clean clothes, my gloves, and ran a brush through my hair on the way down the steps. “What’s for breakfast today!”  
“Waffles!” Lys screamed in excitement.  
My dad laughed, “I guess she doesn’t get them very often.”  
Lys wobbled to the chair with her cast, “I don’t! My mom doesn’t make breakfast.”  
“Well, that’s no good! You can have breakfast with us any day.” My mom said, her valium powered smile prominent on her face.  
“I’ll take you up on that!” Lys declared cheerfully.  
I laughed with my dad. “Where’s Jason? Doesn’t he have class today?”  
“Oh, sweetheart, he already left.” My dad said, “Arianna picked him up early to see him before her big project today.”  
“Thank god. I hate driving out there every day. He really needs to pass his driving test.” I chuckled, my mom shaking her head saying that she paid for my gas anyway.  
“Yes honey, we pay for her gas, but I am the one that makes that money for her to waste it back tracking every day to take him to class.” My dad muttered, reading the paper.  
“And before World War Three breaks out, we’re gonna go.” I say, raising my eyebrows and standing. “Lys eat in the car or we’re gonna be late. But so, help me if you get syrup in my car,” I pointed at her, “we’re gonna have problems.” I finger gunned her. I threw my backpack over my shoulder and marched out, hearing her tell my parents thank you and goodbye. She climbed in beside me as I buckled in, turning the key. “I love my dad, but he needs to stop antagonizing the beast.” Lys laughed. “Seriously, he always has to make a comment and then she goes off for hours.” I groaned.  
Lys squeezed my hand as I pulled onto the road. “It’s okay, everyone’s been there.”  
“Are you ready for the history test results from Anna’s mom?” I asked, trying to change the subject. Lys laughed, catching my intention and saying no. “I’m just hoping I scored high enough to keep my GPA up. It would suck to drop my average in the first week of classes.”  
“Oh, shut up, Ellie. We both know that you aced it. The biggest worry is how Travis did.” She laughed, “His average can’t drop any lower if he wants to go to Ohio State. His scholarship only goes so far.”  
I laughed, “I’m sure he did fine.” I kissed her hand as I drove down the road approaching the school. I glanced at her, wishing I could tell the world this beautiful, caring girl was who I was destined to be with. “You know, this really sucks.” I saw her look at me in the corner of my eye. “I just want to tell everyone that you are mine. I mean, you are beautiful. You are wicked smart. You broke your ankle jumping off a swing, and while that is hilarious-I’m sorry but it is-you are still getting up and going to school the next day and it shows everyone what a badass you are. You have the most gorgeous black hair I have ever seen on a woman that wasn’t photoshopped.”  
“Baby, you’re ranting.” She laughed, “I totally get where you’re coming from. I feel the exact same way. It sucks. And it’s entirely adorable that you would feel that way. Especially since we haven’t known each other long. But honestly this feels right. It’s so easy for us to go from easy talk about school and jump straight into a serious discussion like this, and I love that.” She smiled brightly, watching me as I continued to stare at the road. “It’s weird living here, isn’t it? I mean, imagine if we didn’t know we were meant to be together, nobody would get as serious as they do as quickly as it happens here.” She peered off into the distance, you could almost see the gears in her head turning as I pulled into the school parking lot.  
“Someday, right?” I chuckled.  
She smiled softly at me as she climbed out of the car. “Someday. But today, it’s school and a Harry Potter movie marathon at your house.”  
Anna pounced on Lys’s shoulders from behind, “Ya know, I’m getting sick of you guys leaving me, so I have to ride in with my mom.”  
“Sorry.” We said in unison.  
“Yeah, yeah. So, anyway, I hear couples party at your house tonight?” She smiled, “I can’t wait. I’m gonna bring my cutest jammies for Nick to see me in. Should I go for slutty cute, or adorable cute?”  
“I say go adorable.” Lys replied.  
“Yeah, I mean he’s already yours.” I piped in, “Save the slutty for when things get super serious, not early stage dating. Even if he is your match.”  
She laughed. “As always, my girls are right.”

The rest of the school day went by in a blur until we piled into my car to go home. With what felt like a million pit stops between the school and movie night. Stopping at Lys and Travis’s house, they ran inside to get their clothes, leaving myself and Anna in the car. It started running through my head that I needed to let Anna know who my match really was, before she started wondering who Percy was and why Travis was spending more time with him. “So, are you gonna tell me what you are hiding or what?” I looked at her. She frowned and continued as though she read my mind, “I know what you are hiding. I mean, you do realize that Travis and Lys are my cousins, right? On their dad’s side of the family.”  
I paused, thinking back to what he said about his brother matching the same way we did. “Are you asking if I have a secret? Or are you saying that you know I do?” I heard her sigh, and she slowly reached up my sleeve, grasping the edge of my glove. I stopped her as she began to pull it downward. “How did you know?”  
Anna laughed. “I’m your best friend!” She straightened up and turned to face me, speaking softly, “Ellie, I see the way you look at her. I can see the love in your eyes. My dad has taken me to his brother in secret, and that’s where I first learned about the gloves. My dad told me that if I ever met anyone like, that I should cherish it.” She grasped my hand in hers. “I accept you both.” I bit my lip. “Wait. It’s not just you and Lys.” I opened my mouth and closed it immediately. “Travis? No!” She laughed. “That explains why Nick said Travis invited their friend tonight.” A devious smile spread across her face as Lys and Travis climbed back into the car. “Hey, Travis!” Anna chirped, “Let me see your hand.” Confused, he held his hand up to her. She immediately pulled his glove off. “I thought so.” She giggled, tossing it back to him.  
Lys shrieked, “Ellie! How could you tell her without us?”  
I threw my hands up to proclaim my innocence. “It wasn’t me! She guessed it!”  
Anna turned around to face them as I pulled the car onto the road toward Nick’s house. “Do you guys know Uncle Steve?” The look of confusion on their faces made her continue. “While you guys know we are cousins, what you apparently don’t know is that our fathers have another brother. His name is Steve, and he also knows about these gloves. Because he uses them.” Lys gasped. “Your mom doesn’t know we still talk to him. She forbids your dad, and he has to lie and say him and my dad are going to a baseball game just to go see him. I’m sure your dad will tell you soon, but he’s probably afraid your mom will not take it well.” She reached back and gently grasped their hands. “Just know that I love you guys so much. And I am entirely okay with this.” She laid Lys’s hand on my shoulder.  
Lys started tearing up and hugged Anna from the backseat. “I love you so much, cousin.” She leaned back into her seat as we drew closer to Nick’s house. “How are we going to tell him?”  
Anna looked up from her phone, “I wouldn’t worry about it. I’ve already told him about our uncle, and he told me about the way he sees Percy looking at Travis. So, I think he already knows.” Travis groaned from the backseat.  
“Y’all are telling people my shit before I’m ready.” He paused. “I guess it’s okay if he knows. He is my best friend. Just no one else!” We all laughed.  
“Can we change the subject now?” Lys chimed up as Anna got out to meet Nick at his door, “I want to talk about movie snacks and bathroom break schedules because we have about twenty hours’ worth of movies to watch this weekend. I’m thinking bathroom break between each movie, and we’ll get everyone one drink per movie, and some various bags of chips.” Lys climbed into the front seat as Nick and Anna sat down in the back.  
I laughed, “Well, make a list and we’ll stop at the store after we pick up Arianna.”  
“On it!” She smiled, brushing my hand as she reached for a pen. The red glow illuminating for a brief moment.  
“Oh!” Nick shouted from the backseat; I could see him smiling in my rearview mirror. “So, that’s why Anna mentioned her uncle to me. Congratulations you two!” He turned to Travis, “Is there something you want to tell me about you and Percy?”  
Travis sighed. “Well if you must know, I’m in love with him.”  
Nick clapped his hand down on Travis’s shoulder. “I’m so glad you finally owned up to it. It’s about damn time. Percy told me months ago, but I wanted to give you time.” Travis’s mouth gaped open. “Don’t blame him. I got drunk and wouldn’t leave him alone about the look in his eyes whenever he sees you.”  
Lys popped her head over the headrest, “You guys, this conversation is lovely and all, but I need snack requests!” She grinned, holding up her pen and paper.  
“Cheetos!” Travis yelled, hoping to keep the topic changed. I had never seen him so flustered.  
I pulled up in front of Arianna’s house, climbed out and popped the hatch for Jason and Travis to hop in. They laid down on everyone’s bags of clothes, and we drove to the store. List in hand, Lys and I ran up and down the aisles tossing everything in, before checking out and piling the bags on top of the boys in the back.

We pulled into the garage of my house; my parents already being gone for the weekend. We piled into the living room, drinks and snacks in hand, back up drinks in the fridge, and tucked onto the couches in our pajamas. As Percy walked in, Anna was putting Sorcerer’s Stone in the DVD player. We spent hours cuddled on the couches, watching one movie after another, until the fourth one ended and our stomachs growled for real food.  
“I’m so exhausted but so hungry!” Jason yelled as the credits rolled.  
“I think there’s some frozen pizzas we got at the store,” I looked at Lys, “Wanna give me a hand?” She nodded, and I put on some music for entertainment while we made the pizzas. Though it was after one in the morning, everyone was dancing when we walked back in the room with the pizzas. Anna was smiling while Nick slow danced with her, laughing because the song was more upbeat than his dancing. Jason took the pizzas out of my hand, right as Lys grabbed it and started to join them. “No!” I shouted over the laughter, “I can’t dance!”  
Lys smiled at me, placing her hands on my waist, “You just shake your hips like this.” She started wiggling and spinning around. She looked so graceful. I reluctantly joined her, not looking nearly as graceful as I knocked into the table and lamps. Eventually I grabbed a piece of pizza, as an excuse to stop. Nick turned down the music and we all sat and munched on the cheesy, saucy goodness until our eyelids became heavy and we called it a night.

I rolled out of bed the next day at nearly 11, the smell of bacon wafting up the stairs. I ran into Arianna and Jason in the hall on the way downstairs, looking just as groggy as I felt. Walking in the kitchen, Anna and Lys smiling faces turned to us, setting breakfast on the table.  
“What’s all this?” I asked, getting the orange juice from the fridge and looking at the plates of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.  
Lys kissed my cheek, “We thought you might be hungry.” She looked up at Jason, “Can you wake the guys up? We made enough food to feed a small army.” She started serving the plates, piling the food on and offering butter and syrup.  
The guys walked in as she served the last plate. Arianna screamed, “This is amazing!” her mouth full of food. Lys laughed, “I’m glad you like it, but swallow next time!”  
We ate in silence because everyone’s mouths were always full of food. When the last of it was gone, we loaded the dishwasher and retreated to the living room with full bellies to watch more movies.  
“Can we watch the fourth one again?” Percy asked, “I fell asleep during it.” Anna laughed, and put Goblet of Fire back in before hitting play. I pulled a blanket over me and laid my head on Lys’s shoulder, thinking it couldn’t get any more perfect.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

A few more hours of watching movies, and our muscles were ready for a stretch. We stood up as my parents walked in the door, startling us. “Mom! Dad! What are you guys doing here?” Jason asked, standing in their line of vision, as I moved toward Travis and Percy moved toward Lys. “You weren’t supposed to be home until Sunday night.”  
“So, we leave, and you guys throw a-an orgy!?” Our mom shouted, waving her hands around. She grabbed my arm and yanked me away from Travis. “How dare you do this!”  
My father started waving her down. “Sweetie, you need to calm down, you haven’t taken your medicine yet. How do you know it wasn’t Jason?”  
She wheeled on him, “My sweet baby boy would never do something like this!” She pointed at Lys, “I bet it was her bad influence. Do you remember what their awful mother said at that party?” I pulled my arm out of her hand and stepped between her and Lys.  
“Will you shut up?” I snapped at her. “You told us last week that we could have a movie weekend while you were gone. Everyone here is fully clothed, as you can blatantly see, and if you think for one second that I am going to let you talk about her like that, then you don’t know me very well.” She studied my face, her own showing her growing anger. I spoke before she could, “Just go take your happy pills and get out of my face.” I pushed past her, grabbing my shoes and leaving the house without another word. I pulled them on as I walked and marched away toward the park. I heard the screen door slam a few times behind, indicating that my friends had followed me out. I didn’t bother slowing down as I heard the footsteps approaching me. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and the red glow coming from it told me it was Lys. “I’m sorry.” I sat down on a swing as we reached the park.  
“Naw, don’t be.” Nick said, patting my knee. “Your mom went full crazy right off the bat. When we followed you out your dad was yelling about it.”  
Anna elbowed him. “El, you know I’m used to your mom’s…particular brand of attitude, but today it seems like she hasn’t taken her medicine all day. Maybe that’s why they came back early to begin with.”  
“Yeah, sweetheart,” Lys chimed in, “It’ll be okay, and we can still have a fun weekend. You can stay at my house tonight if you want. My mom is gonna be at my aunt’s house, so we don’t have to worry about her.”  
“I appreciate it. But I’ll have to go back eventually. Let’s just hang out here for a little while and deal with the backlash later today, when she has her happy pills in her.” I responded, as I patted the swing next to me. Lys sat on my lap while Nick sat on one side of me, and Travis sat on the other, Anna and Percy sitting in their laps. The glows of the red, blue, and purple soothing my headache. I leaned my forehead into Lys’s back, thinking about my mom. “It’s gonna be so hard to finally come clean to them.” Anna patted my hand.  
“She’ll understand eventually.” She said sympathetically. “At least, she probably will.”  
I sighed. “I should probably go back and deal with this. If you guys want a ride home, I’ll give Jason my keys to take you. I’ll be getting my ass handed to me for at least an hour.” Lys got up and I started walking. She held my hand and squeezed reassuringly as we walked in silence.  
Approaching my front door, I could already hear my mother’s voice. “I don’t care if she will be Ellie’s mother in law! That woman was horrid and said terrible things about our home and Ellie’s supposed attitude. Where would my daughter get an attitude?”  
My father was quieter, but still audible, “Possibly from her insane mother.”  
I took a deep breath and opened the door. “Hold your fire.” I put my hands up. “Don’t shoot.”  
My father laughed as my mother scoffed at me. “Oh, here we go again with this smart mouth. What is wrong with you?”  
I smiled at her. “So very much.” She glared at me, but I kept talking. “I just came to get my keys to take everyone home since you hate the idea of us watching movies.”  
“No, no, no,” my father replied, “We’re going back to the business trip as soon as your mother’s medicine kicks in, so don’t worry about it.” My mother started to protest, but my father raised a hand and spoke over her, “Please, have fun. She’ll forget about it any minute.” She stormed out of the room. “There we go. Here,” my dad handed me fifty bucks, “Get yourself some fun drinks tonight to make up for your mother’s insanity.”  
“Hey, dad, do you ever wish you had matched with someone else? Ya know, when mom acts like this?” I asked him softly.  
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I believe that everyone matches with the perfect person for them. Your mother may have…intense moments, but she is the one that pulled me out of my comfort zone. She pushed me to follow my dream, which got me this amazing job. And she gave an absolutely beautiful, smart, independent daughter.” I hugged him. “I love you, princess.”  
“I love you, too, daddy.”

A few hours later, my parents were back at their hotel, and we had the house to ourselves again. I dropped down on the couch next to Jason, drink in my hand. “You know our mother is insane, right?” I asked without looking at him. He laughed in return and patted my shoulder.  
“Let’s just watch the last movie and hit the hay.” Anna said, trying to lighten the mood.  
She hit play, and we sat back, drinking and watching the final battle of Hogwarts. What felt like ten minutes later, it was time to go to bed. Anna and Nick were in the guest bedroom, Travis and Percy on the pull-out couch, and Lys came to my room. As we laid down under the covers, the fan on because I can’t sleep without it, I pulled her in close to me. I gently tilted her face up, kissing her lips and wishing her sweet dreams. She drifted off to sleep in my arms, the most peaceful angel I had seen in all my life. I regretted hiding her as my love from my parents. I wished I could tell the world about us. I drifted off to sleep, holding her close to me, worrying about what would happen when people found out about us.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Months passed by, I spent every minute I could with Lys, Travis, and Percy. Anna spent her time with Nick, but we stayed best friends, reserving one weekend a month for just the two of us. Everything was going perfect, until one day I came home from school to find my parents waiting in the living room for me. Walking in the door with Lys, I wanted to turn and run, since my father was always still at work when I came home from school.  
“Hi, sweetie. We’re going out to eat. Your mother and I want to talk to about some things.” My dad smiled at me. “You’re picking Jason up on the way, and we’ll meet you there. Lys you are welcome to join us.”

Soon, we were sitting in a restaurant downtown, waiting for our food. “So, what did we need to talk about?” Jason asked.  
My mother put her finger to her lips. “We’re here to talk to Ellie, you just sit. Now, sweetie, we want to talk about your future.”  
My father interjected, “She wants to talk about your future. I want to make it clear this was not my plan.”  
“Shut up, Walter.” My mom scorned him; she rarely used his first name. “Now, I was just talking to your father, and he has a friend that can get you a job near the school you’ll be attending next fall.”  
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. “I thought all of dad’s friends were located in the southeast.” I looked at my dad, who in turn stared at the table. I looked at my mother.  
She smiled softly, “Well, I was just thinking that since Jason and Arianna are going to be moving, and you’ll be going with Travis when he leaves for school in Atlanta-”  
I gaped at her, interrupting, “Excuse me? Who said I was going to be going with him? We haven’t even discussed it.” By now my voice was rising and people were starting to stare. “God, mom, I can’t believe you’d rather me give up my dream and follow someone you barely know, than to do what I want with my life.”  
“Oh, now sweetie, that’s not what I meant. Quit making a scene.” She whispered.  
“Quit making a scene? Are you kidding me? You don’t even like their family, and you want me to bail on a full scholarship to my dream school to go to freakin’ Alabama!?”  
“Walter, help me!” My mother scowled at him.  
“No honey, I told you this was a bad idea. I don’t want her following that boy just to be a housewife.”  
“At least dad cares about what I want! Sometimes I gotta wonder if you even know me at all!” I got up and stormed out of the restaurant, Jason following after me. “God, who does she think she is!?” I yelled to the sky. Lys trailed behind us, remaining silent and I had almost forgotten she was there.  
“Our mother,” Jason smirked. “I’m sorry, joke in bad taste. But you know that she’s only suggesting it because it’s the normal thing for matched couples. It’s just hard because they don’t know that Travis isn’t your real match.”  
“He’s not your what!?” We turned to see my mother standing a few feet behind us.  
My mouth dropped open. I had not prepared what to say to her yet. “Mom- I- Uh- “I stammered out. My dad walked outside to see what was taking so long.  
“Oh, good, Walter. Ellie was just going to tell us about how she lied to us.” She crossed her arms.  
“No, mom, it’s not like that.” Jason tried to help.  
“I can’t believe you knew about this and you didn’t say anything. I mean honestly, Jason.”  
“Stop,” I muttered, “This isn’t his fault, it’s mine. Jason is right. Travis isn’t my match. Lys is.”  
My mother scoffed, glaring at my soul mate. “That’s impossible.”  
“But it’s true.” I whispered. I stared down at my red hands, wondering with all my being why I was born the way I was. My parents waited, believing I owed them some kind of explanation I didn’t have. I didn’t know what to say to them. My mother’s eyes boring into me as her voice spoke so scornfully., “Did your color change?”  
I nearly cried as I whispered back, “Yes.” Lys rest her hand on my shoulder as I pulled my gloves off.  
“You step away from my daughter!” My mother shouted.  
“I can’t do that, Mrs. Daniels. I love her. And she loves me.” Lys said shakily, taking my hand in hers, the glow shining bright in the dark city street.  
“Who put these delirious thoughts into your head?” She demanded, as she raised her hand and slapped my face.  
Jason stood between the two of us. “It’s not some delirious thought. I’ve seen it.” He started yelling, “You are so stuck on this picture-perfect life image that you have for us that you don’t see that you are tearing your daughter apart! Do you think she wanted to disappoint you? I heard her on her birthday. Her only wish was to be normal and match with someone to make you happy. Why can’t you just accept her?”  
My mother shook her head, “I can’t accept this. It isn’t normal, and it isn’t right. I’ve never seen this in my life…” She paused, as if remembering a past incident, “I bet Mrs. Johansson had something to do with this.”  
“Don’t you think I wish I was normal?” I screamed. “I dreamed of being the daughter you desired, but I’m not, okay? I’m just not.”  
My father spoke for the first time. “Why lie to us?”  
“Why lie? This is why!” The flood gates opened, and tears streaked down my face. “You guys didn’t accept anyone back in the day, why would you accept me now? Because I’m your daughter? If that was all it took then you would’ve accepted what I want to do with my life instead of trying to push me to follow Travis to the bum fuck south!”  
My father’s face turned stern, “Who told you that?”  
“Well you aren’t denying it, dad. I’m sorry I don’t fall into your dream life. I’m sorry I’m not like Jason. I can’t help it.” My voice started coming out quieter.  
Jason stood beside me, “You need to accept her for the way she is, or we’re both leaving.”  
“Now you’re taking my perfect boy away from me?” Our mother roared, “It’s not enough for you that you trash my reputation as a mother, so you need to take the one good thing in my life?”  
“I know Jason is your favorite mom, and I’m not doing anything. Like you said, he’s gonna be leaving soon to be with Arianna anyway.” I looked at my mom’s angry and heartbroken face. “But don’t worry. I’ll be out of your life soon enough.”  
I ran away. I got in my car, tears streaming down my face, I pulled out of the parking lot. In my rearview mirror, I saw Jason chasing after me, Lys watching the ground as my mother yelled at my father for not being a tougher parent to ‘prevent this from happening’. I kept driving, letting the tears roll as freely as they wanted, my face still throbbing where she had struck me. I drove slowly, taking all the time away from them as I could, just wandering aimlessly. I waited at a red light and turned the radio on as it turned green. The lyrics to the Boys Like Girls song ‘Chemicals Collide’ filled the air as I pushed forward. Suddenly, I felt a pain in my head, and I was spinning. I heard the sound of metal scraping metal; the smell of gas filled the air. Almost just as quickly, it stopped. I heard the song continue to play as I heard screaming in the background. ‘I don’t remember this song having screams.’ I thought to myself.

Then everything went dark.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Then I woke up. The beeps and drips of the equipment surrounding me slowly filling more of my consciousness. I felt something in my hand, as I looked down to see Lys holding it. “She’s awake!” she yelled, Anna and Jason rushing to the side of the bed. “We were so worried,” she sobbed, tears rolling from her eyes, “especially when you didn’t wake up.”  
My eyes were still adjusting to what was going on around me, but I started to make out the surroundings to a hospital room. I tried to speak but my mouth was too dry to get any words out. Anna held a straw up to my lips, and as I sipped the cold water my head throbbed in pain. “You shouldn’t try to talk,” Jason said cautiously, “You’ve been asleep for a week now, you have a pretty bad concussion and a few broken ribs. You gave us quite a scare, sis.”  
Lys gently pressed a kiss to my cheek, and the pain radiated to my kneecaps. I winced, and she jumped away, bringing her hands to her face. “I’m sorry! Please don’t jump, I won’t touch you.”  
“No,” I choked out in a raspy voice, the pain burning my lungs, “please don’t back away.” I outstretched my arm, clenching my teeth at the pain in my ribs, “Please hold my hand, babe.”  
Tears running down her cheeks, she grasped my hand once more, “That’s the first time you’ve called me babe.” She gave me a sad smile. “I wish it were a better memory.”  
Anna finally spoke, “Ellie, your parents have come to see you. Just so you know. They said that if you gave the okay, they wanted to be notified when you woke up.”  
I shook my head. “This is something I need to talk with them about face to face.” I looked at Jason, “I’m surprised they let you be here after what I remember.” I vaguely had a vision of driving away from my parents after a huge fight, but nothing more.  
“To be honest, when they realized I knew the whole time, they kicked me out. I stayed with Arianna until Mrs. Johansson talked to them.”  
“What did she say?” I asked in a broken voice, my throat like sandpaper. Anna held my straw up for me to sip.  
“From what happened next, I can only assume she talked to them about Lys and you.” He paused, biting his lip like he was hiding something.  
“Jason, your tell is showing.” Anna muttered, “You were supposed to work on that.”  
“Yeah, sorry.” He looked me in the eye, before taking my free hand and checking not to bump my IV. “She’s here. She wants to speak with you, if you want to see her. She blames herself for giving you those gloves…” He started trailing off, watching his own fingers trace my IV tape. I looked up to Anna, who nodded and left to return a few minutes later with Mrs. Johansson.  
Alaine Johansson was always a very well put together woman, but she nearly collapsed when she entered the room and saw me. “Do I look that bad?” I croaked, I heard faint chuckling from Jason and Anna, but was met with Lys’s sad eyes.  
“Ellie, we almost lost you.” Mrs. Johansson said, visibly upset. “I spoke with your parents. I told them about what they witnessed when we were younger. At first, they were upset, thinking I put some crazy idea into your head.” She paused. “Until I showed them. I called Eleanor to meet me there the next day, even after they screamed at me, they allowed me to speak to them again. This time with her there. I brought my husband, James, as well. I showed them what happens when you have the gloves on, versus what happens when you take them off.” I watched as she took a deep breath, pulling a note out of her pocket. “I think it would be best if Jason read this to you.”  
He opened it, reading a few lines to himself. He looked at my face, the pain and exhaustion must have been evident. “I think you should get some more rest. When you wake up and get some food in you, we’ll start with this.”  
“Are you sure?” I choked out.  
“He’s right,” Lys muttered.  
“What are you hungry for, kiddo?” Mrs. Johansson asked, trying to smile down at me. “I’ll pick up some food for the lot of you. I don’t think Lys has eaten since you got here.” Lys’s stomach growled, like it was punctuating her sentence.  
Jason smiled up at me, “If I know her, it’s pizza.” I forced a smile so I wouldn’t have to speak. “I’ll take that as a yes. But for now, here’s your nurse with your pain medicine.” The short woman that walked in put a syringe into my IV line, and I felt my vision getting hazier.  
“Will you be here when I wake up?”  
Anna laughed, “We’ve been taking shifts to shower in your bathroom here so that we don’t have to leave.” I smiled, as my eye lids felt heavier and heavier until I couldn’t keep opening them anymore, my hand firmly clasped in Lys’s.

I woke up what felt like days later, groggily looking at the sleeping bodies around me. Jason and Anna had been replaced with Travis and Percy. I moved my arm to reposition, and accidentally shook Lys awake. “What do you need, Ellie? Water? A pillow? Do you have to pee? Oh no, you have a catheter…Can I get you anything?”  
I held up a finger to quiet her down. “Sweet Lys, I’m just trying to move a little bit.” I patted her hand as best I could. “Please, get some sleep. I’m going to page the nurse so I can see what’s going on with my injuries.”  
“I’ll sleep when you sleep.” She said simply, pressing the call button on my remote. A short time later, a different woman in scrubs came in, checking my vitals and asking me how I would rate my pain.  
“It’s nice to see you awake again. It’s been about fourteen hours since you were last awake, but the time you sleep will shorten as we can give you less pain medication. However, we are not going to start weening it yet. There is still a lot of healing to do, and while you were out, we took you for more X-Rays to see what we were working with. Since you are 18, I can talk to you now, or we can wait for your parents to get here. It’s your choice.” I motioned for her to continue. “To begin with, when one of your ribs broke, it punctured your lung. Our surgical team was able to get that repaired rather easily, and they attached the other three into healing position. Now that you will be able to get up without worrying for a bigger damage to your lung, we can remove the catheter. Our biggest worry right now is your head. With how long you slept, the swelling in your brain should’ve gone down more than it has. Now, it has gone down, just not as much as we were hoping. Your doctor would like us to do an MRI and a CT scan. Do you understand what’s going to happen?” I nodded the best I could. My head still throbbing. She continued, “I don’t want to alarm you, but if the swelling doesn’t go down soon, we may have to operate.” She took one of my open hands, placed it in Lys’s hand, and took my other hand in hers. “I know you girls belong together. I have been in your position. My fiancée is the surgeon who fixed your ribs. I developed a tolerance to seeing blood to be able to work with her. I understand what happened that led you here, Alaine is an old friend of mine. But I must implore you, please talk to your parents.” She paused, “I know you don’t know me, but one of my biggest regrets is not making up with my mother before she died. My father called me after her funeral, reaching out to apologize since we hadn’t spoken since I left their house. You don’t want to go through life like that, sweetheart.”  
I croaked the words out, “I’ll consider it.” She nodded, asking if I needed anything else, and I shook my head. As she walked out, I turned to Lys. “Have you spoken to your parents?”  
She nodded, “They’ve accepted Percy into our family, and they are ready to accept you. They were a little disappointed that neither of us will be able to give them grandchildren,” she laughed, “but they said we could always get a surrogate.”  
I gave her a small smile. Thinking about my parents. “I should at least call them, shouldn’t I?”  
She looked at me for a moment, then nodded. “But first,” she smiled, “Mrs. Johansson told me to call her when we were hungry. So, are you hungry?”  
I grinned at her, “I’m starving actually.”  
I chuckled for a moment, remembering the night of the party when she fractured her ankle. “You know what’s funny?” She watched me, “The night of the party my parents threw for me and Travis, when you walked outside while I was talking to your dad. You asked what we were talking about, and we never told you.” Lys’s face implored me to continue. “He knew that it was a lie. He knew that it was you.” I fell asleep again.  
An hour later, Arianna, Jason, and Anna had joined us in my room, and Travis, Percy, and I woke up to the sound of the door opening. We munched pizza and talked about everything that had happened through the week while I was out. The teachers were passing my tests with the lowest A’s they could get by our principal so my acceptance to CalTech wouldn’t be in jeopardy. The star football player, Damion, matched with Matthew, the lead of the drama club, and they didn’t try to keep it secret after what happened to me. One of the freshmen fell off a ladder at the school trying to teepee it as a prank.  
Then Jason’s phone rang. He sat there, listening to the other end, and I became more concerned that he wasn’t talking. After a minute or two, he hung up. He didn’t speak for a moment, then looked at me with pleading eyes. “Ellie, did you want to hear that note from mom and dad now?” I watched him briefly, his eyes begging me to say yes. So, I nodded. He started reading, “They wrote this about two days after you left. ‘Our dearest Ellie, we are so very sorry. We know that what we did is inexcusable, and we don’t expect forgiveness, but we need you back in our lives. We overreacted, but there is something we never told you. We told you that you were named after your grandmother, which is true. Your grandmother was also named Ellie, and she had also matched red to red. She and your grandfather kept it secret by never touching in public. We’ve known that all our lives. When she died, all we hoped for were children that could live a normal life without hiding who they are. We were scared for you, dear. Even if you can’t forgive us, please be careful. Some people may be worse than us. We love you, kiddo.’” He paused. “That’s where it ends.”  
“Who was on the phone?” I asked.  
“Do you remember why mom’s doctor prescribed her the valium?” He questioned, but continued, “It was to keep her calm and not stress her heart since she inherited Grandpa Rex’s heart condition.”  
“Jason, what happened?” Anna asked, taking my hand from the bed into hers.  
My mind raced. I heard my father’s voice down the hall. Before they could stop me, I was on my feet. The pain in my head and ribs slowing my pace enormously, and I felt the IV tear out of my hand, but I didn’t stop. Jason and Anna tried to force me back into bed, but they soon switched their efforts to helping me walk when they realized it was futile to stop me. Out the door, my dad’s voice became louder. Stronger. I followed it, rounding into another patient room, while Lys halted just outside the door. My eyes readjusted to the different lighting in the hallway, and in the room. By the time I could see, I realized my father had been sitting in the chair to my side, though he jumped to his feet when I charged in. My eyes followed Jason’s gaze to the bed, my mother laying there, watching me.  
“Oh, kiddo.” My dad gasped, pulling me into a hug. I howled in pain, Jason and Anna pulling me back from him. “I’m sorry sweetheart, did I hurt you?” My dad searched my face for any sign of something other than pain for a moment, he looked more full of sorrow than I had ever remembered.  
“Mom,” I coughed out, “what happened to you?”  
“Sweetheart, forget about me.” She whispered, tears filling her eyes. “How are you feeling?”  
“Will you guys stop tip toeing around me? I may be hurt, but that doesn’t make me an invalid.” I yelled, resulting in a coughing fit that radiated and ached into my lungs.  
“Okay, sweetie. We hear you.” My mom’s eyes looked pained but relaxed when she continued, “After we heard about what happened to you, my heart took a turn. The doctors say I’m going to be fine. Just a minor heart attack from the sounds of it. But don’t worry about me, I’ll still be here when you graduate from CalTech, I promise.”  
Jason was at my shoulder, “I wanted to tell you, Ellie. I tried to a couple times, but your healing was more important.” His face looked sad. “I didn’t want to tell you until I knew for sure it wouldn’t impact whether you decided to forgive them or not.”  
I flashbacked to the nurse telling me she wished she had forgiven her mother before she died. I glanced at my own mother laying in the hospital bed. “It didn’t impact my decision.” I paused and I could see the sadness in my mom’s eyes, “I forgive them.”  
Lys came in the room from the hall, and rested her hand on my shoulder, the glow small. My dad looked at her hand on me and stepped forward. Lys jumped back, thinking he was going to scream at us. Instead, he swept Lys up into his arms, hugging her so tight it looked as though she might snap in half. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for taking care of my baby girl. Thank you for being there for her when I wouldn’t be. Thank you for…everything. I’m sorry we didn’t accept you at first. But we accept you now…we accept you now.” My mind flashed back, and I remembered hearing those words before. I was flashing bits and pieces of the memory, when everything went black again.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

I woke up in what looked like an operating room. Bright lights overhead, I didn’t feel anything, but I vaguely heard the words “she’s awake,” before I was back out cold.  
Later, I woke up again. This time back in my room, the throbbing in my head was better than before. I felt a hand on mine and knew from the glow it must have been Lys’s. I could see my dad leaning on the wall in the corner of the room, talking on his phone. Jason was slumped against Arianna in a chair, both sleeping. Anna was outside the room with Nick, it looked like she was crying into her coffee cup. She looked in and I raised my hand to wave. She ran to my bed side, tripping over Jason in the process and jump starting him awake.  
She started talking, but my ears felt like they were full of water and I couldn’t hear anything. I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion, and I watched as her mouthing kept moving. She stopped for a second, I could make out the words “is something wrong” and I tried to say I can’t hear you. Everyone covered their ears when the words came out louder than I intended. Jason pushed the call button and took the nurse out of the room to talk to her when she got there. Lys kept kissing my forehead, mouthing that everything was going to be okay. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks before I realized I had started crying. Anna texted Lys to show me a message saying she’d be back in ten minutes with some pens and paper, and then she was gone with Nick shortly behind her. I kept crying, slowly my eyes getting heavier and heavier. Jason came in with the nurse, she had some kind of medicine in a syringe with a needle, and another kind in a syringe without a needle. She sprayed the second medicine into each of my ears, placing cotton balls inside, and put the first medicine in my IV. After a few minutes my eyelids were getting heavier and heavier as Lys stroked my hair.  
I woke up later, Lys whispering close to me as she saw my eyes flutter. “Can you hear me?” she sounded like she was under the water’s surface, though she was understandable now. I nodded and wobbled my hand to show her I could slightly. I croaked at her, “It sounds like you’re under water.”  
“That’s probably because of the medicine we dripped in your ear before you fell asleep.” The nurse said as she entered the room. “It’ll go back to normal once the swelling in your brain from the surgery goes down.” She spoke slowly so my brain could process the sounds that came through my ears. “Dinner is on its way up. Your friends are welcome to stay for a few more hours.” I nodded, and she smiled on her way out the door.  
Lys perched herself on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?” She grazed her fingers along the bandage around my head, hovering where my new stitches were.  
I reached up and grabbed her hand tight, “I’m doing okay.” I whispered, gesturing for my water.  
Jason held the glass up so I could get to the straw. “Don’t lie to us,” he sighed, “You just collapsed.” My brain flashbacked to the darkness saying, ‘We accept you now.’ “Tell us what’s going on.”  
“I don’t know. I don’t remember. Where did I fall?” Jason looked at me, sadness in his eyes. “What happened?”  
“Mom is in a room down the hall. She had to have surgery after she suffered another heart attack when you collapsed.” I gasped. He continued, “she’s gonna be okay now. The doctors just say she needs to rest more.”  
“Oh no, can I see her?” I asked, looking at my dad, who kept his head down. “Maybe not now, sweetheart. Strengthen yourself first.” I nodded as I squeezed Lys’s hand back and took another sip of water. “You’re probably right, dad.” I looked at my pale red hands. “I’m sorry I’ve put you all through so much.”  
“No, you are not!” Arianna shouted. “None of this is your fault. The police arrested Ethan after they found where he was after the accident. He’s to blame for what happened.”  
“Really,” Jason muttered. “Who drinks a bottle of rum while driving down a residential road?”  
“Nobody blames you for what happened.” Percy said, his voice small. “You were just out for a drive when Ethan ran his stop light.”  
I sat there, staring at the faces surrounding me. “How is he?”  
Anna scoffed. “Oh, you are so not serious right now. How can you honestly be worried about him after what he did to you? I mean honestly.”  
Jason’s head shot up, “Don’t you dare yell at her. She didn’t do anything wrong. She doesn’t remember what happened, and you all used to be friends with that asshat so it’s natural that she would be concerned when you tell her he was involved.” Anna muttered an apology, saying she was just angry with Ethan. Jason turned to me, “Don’t worry about anyone but yourself right now. You need to rest. Lys is covering all your homework, the teachers are passing all your tests, and I’m covering all the chores until the doctor gives you the okay.” He squeezed my hand, and even through the watery coverage sound in my ears I could hear the concern in his voice. I looked around at each person standing in the room with me, and I suddenly realized just how exhausted they all looked. The dark circles under their eyes were deepening, and the sore muscles they tried to stretch out whenever they stood up weren’t going away. I realized that I had to get them to go home and sleep in their own beds for more than a couple hours.  
I squeezed Lys’s hand. “Ya know guys, I’m feeling like a need to be alone for a while. Why don’t you go ahead and go get some actual food and get some sleep?”  
Anna eyed me, catching that I had realized how exhausted they are. “We will go.” She took Lys’s other hand to pull her along, “But you can bet your ass that we will be back tomorrow after school.” Lys gently kissed my forehead over my gauze wrap, and everyone slowly filed out. Lys waved sadly as I watched Anna pull her down the hallway. I turned on the TV, hoping to find some crappy cartoon, and instead I found the news covering the auto accident.  
“It has now been a week since the accident that rocked our small town. Ethan Gates was arrested last night and charged with vehicular manslaughter and assault with a motor vehicle, as well as lesser charges of driving while intoxicated and inability to control a motor vehicle. Ellie Daniels is still in the hospital. Gregory Smith and Anthony Parker have passed away from complications of injuries they received from the accident.” I listened so intently that I didn’t hear the doctor come in. “Sierah Sanders died at the scene. A source tells us she was traveling with Mr. Gates to celebrate their match. Both were heavily intoxicated. All of us here at Station Five hope for a speedy recovery for Ms. Daniels and her family through this difficult time. Our photographers got some shots from the accident. We warn you; they are graphic.” I looked away as they showed photos from the accident scene, the sound fading away in the background.  
“You’re a very lucky woman, Ms. Daniels.” The doctor said, clearing his throat. “I had assumed by now your friends had told you about the accident.”  
“They did tell me.” I responded defensively, “They just didn’t tell me all of it I guess.”  
The doctor nodded, his stern face softening as he sat on the foot of the bed facing me. “They probably realized with everything that you’ve been through,” he gestured to my head, “that you didn’t need the added stress.” He opened the file in front of him. “From what I’m seeing in your tests and scans, after another day or two here to watch the swelling in your head, but you may be able to go home as early as Saturday.” I had no idea what today was. The doctor smiled, “Today is Thursday. So after tonight, you’ll only have one more overnight stay if we’re lucky.”  
“That’s great news. What exactly happened?”  
“Based on your scans and tests, we hypothesize that when Mr. Gates hit the side of your car and sent you into the next lane, and you were hit head on by Mr. Smith and Mr. Parker, your head was slammed into the driver side window, the steering wheel, and back into your head rest, until your vehicle ultimately flipped and your seat belt kept you strapped in upside down once you were unconscious. The blood rush to your head in combination with the contusions you received from hitting your head is what resulted in the swelling and the need to operate to relieve tension. You will not be allowed to drive for at least a few months, and you can’t lift anything over five pounds until your ribs heal. All in all, I’d say you were very lucky, and your seat belt is probably what saved your life. I would also like to inform you that your mother was released today and is currently at home recuperating. If you have any other questions, please feel free to have a nurse page me, but for now I must go check on my other patients.” He turned to leave.  
“Thank you.” I whispered to no one as I watched him round the corner into the next patient’s room. I sat in silence, thinking about what had happened, the glow of the TV lighting the room as the nurse from earlier brought my dinner tray in. I tried my best to smile at her, but it seemed my face gave me away.  
“Oh, sweetheart, if you want to cry, then cry. Ain’t nobody here going to be judging you.” A woman dressed in scrubs came in, “Ellie, I wanted you to meet my fiancé. This is Dr. Kim Logan. She’s the doctor that performed the surgery on your head and ribs.”  
I waved. Dr. Logan smiled softly, “You can feel upset, sweet girl. You are allowed. You seem to be trying to stay strong for everyone else, but that’s not what you need to be concerned about. After a procedure like this, it’s important not to bottle up the emotions because it may cause some kind of ulcer and your body needs to focus on healing right now.”  
 _‘I can’t. How am I supposed to tell the people I love that all their support isn’t helping me get through this?’_ I thought to myself. “I can try.”  
The nurse took my hand. “I know it’s hard. You want to show them that you are strong enough to get through this, or you feel like if you cry you are letting them down somehow, but you aren’t. You are showing them that you are strong enough to let this go. It doesn’t make you weak to cry. It shows that you trust them to see you that way.” She paused briefly, “As for now, since your dinner is here, why don’t you eat and get some rest. We’ll check on you later before we leave for the night.” She waved on her way out the door. Dr. Logan hung back for a moment.  
“It’s in your best interest to just let it out.” She whispered, closing the door behind her.  
I laid in the bed, thinking about everything. Picking at the fries on my plate, I could feel the tears start sliding down my cheeks. I curled up on my side, ignoring the pain and letting the tears come. I cried for everything that happened. For the loss of my classmates. For the pain Ethan’s parents must be feeling at the devastation their son caused. I cried at the words I couldn’t get out of my head.  
We accept you now.

_It took a few moments to realize I was dreaming. The fire surrounding me as I stood barefoot on the cold pavement. The wind blowing my hair into my face as I looked around at the carnage in front of me. I saw my car, upside down and mangled. I watched, frozen, realizing I was in my memory. I saw people running into the smoke, trying to force doors open. I watched as a figure ran to my car, yanking the passenger door open, and trying to undo my seat belt. My feet took me forward and I witnessed my father pulling me from the car. As he laid me gently onto the pavement, checking for my breathing and screaming for help, there were faint tears trailing down his face. I knelt on the ground beside him, studying his face as he dialed 911 and followed their instructions to start CPR. While the tears were dripping onto my body’s unconscious face, I heard him whispering._   
_‘Please, baby girl. Don’t leave us. I’m sorry about those awful things we said to you. I can’t lose you. Please stay with us.’_   
_The paramedics arrived as my body started breathing on its own. ‘Sir, we will take it from here. Which vehicle was she in?’ The medic asked, as my dad backed away. My father directed them to my car a few feet away, and the medic began examining the scene while his partner strapped the oxygen mask to my face. I heard the radio click on. ‘We have a three-way MVA; first patient appears to be a female, late teens; breathing on own; CPR performed by pedestrian; apparent severe head trauma; bruising on torso from seatbelt; possible ruptured spleen. Definite broken ribs.’_   
_I watched as the medics loaded my body onto the papoose board and into the ambulance._   
_I watched as my father stood there on the pavement, crying as his little girl was taken away._   
_I watched as my father yelled after the ambulance._   
_I watched my father yell those words._   
_We accept you now._


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

I woke up. It was the next afternoon, and Lys and Anna were perched in the chairs nearby chatting about school. I grabbed the bed remote and straightened myself up, and Anna took it from me.  
“I’ll sit you up a little bit, but the nurse said you’ve been asleep since last night, so I want you more laying than sitting.” Anna stated sternly, waggling her finger at me like a grade schoolteacher reprimanding a student. Lys took my hand that had been holding the remote.  
“How are feeling, sweetheart?” Lys smiled sweetly, kissing my hand.  
I grinned up at her, “I’m doing better, beautiful. How are you doing today?” She fought telling me how her week was going, saying that they should focus on me. After a few minutes of back and forth she finally started telling me about what she had been dealing with.  
“Since it’s almost the spring semester, I’ve been planning for our first semester at CalTech. And guess what?” Her smile got so big I could almost see all her teeth and Anna started laughing. I waited expectantly, she continued, smile still big as ever, “You have to guess!”  
I laughed, holding her hand tightly, “Will you please just tell me?”  
She squeaked as the words come out, “Your dad and my dad agreed to rent us a studio apartment together! We’re gonna get to live together at our dream school!”  
I shot up in the bed, nearing falling on the floor as my rib pain radiated through my body. The pulsating feeling in my head not stopping me from pulling her into the tightest hug I could manage. “Is this real life? Or are you screwing with me?”  
Anna laughed, “No, she’s being quite serious. I was there. Both of your families have made peace. Her mom even apologized to your mom.” She looked at Lys. “Isn’t there something else you wanted to say to her?”  
“My parents are letting Travis go to Ohio State!” She laughed nervously, avoiding the subject Anna was hinting toward.  
“Melyssa. You tell her, or I will.” Anna said sternly.  
Lys sighed. “Fine. My mom wants us to have a dinner…to ‘celebrate.’” She air quoted.  
“What’s with the fingers?” I asked, “What do you think is gonna happen at dinner?”  
“Well, your last family dinner you got into a car accident and nearly died,” Anna chuckled, cynically. “Sorry. That was terrible. I’m really sorry.”  
“Don’t be,” I laughed, “I would’ve made the same joke.”  
Lys glared at us, “This isn’t funny.” Her face softened looking at me. “I almost lost you.”  
I stopped smiling, “I know.” I whispered, “I’m sorry, babe.”  
She smiled again. “You know, calling me babe won’t always fix things.”  
“But I’ll use it while I can.” I grinned back.  
“Hello, Ellie?” The doctor came in the room. “While you were asleep, we took you for another scan. Everything is looking really good in there, so we’re going to be able to get you home tomorrow, probably sometime in the morning.” The doctor paused. “This must be Lys.”  
“Oh! Um, y-yeah.” She stuttered, extending her hand, “nice to meet you.”  
The doctor smiled at her. “You know, my nieces look a lot like the two of you.” He gestured to her and Anna.  
He turned to walk out the door, “Ya know doc, you never gave me your name.”  
He smiled back, “Name’s Marty. Marty Chaplin.” He let the door shut behind him and we looked at each other in silence for a moment.  
“You don’t think…” Anna began.  
“No, no way.” Lys muttered; eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

The next day, I woke up to Lys packing up my stuff to take home, clean clothes laid on the foot of the bed to change into. “Hey sleepy head!” She said chipperly, “The doctor has already ordered your discharge. All you need to do is sign the paperwork. No rush, I was just getting everything set for when you are ready. Anna is bringing her car to take us to that family dinner I was telling you about.”  
I looked at the clock, it was nearly one in the afternoon. “Why’d you let me sleep so late?”  
Her mouth fell open in surprise, “Because you still need to rest silly goose!” The smile returned to her face. “We have a big night ahead, and I wanted to make sure you were well rested.”  
I laughed and got up to change my clothes. “What the hell is this?” I picked up the dress on my bed.  
“THIS,” she emphasized, “is a joke. Anna’s idea.” She pulled a brown bag from under the chair, “THIS is what I brought you to wear.”  
I reach in, fishing out my favorite sweater and skinny jeans. “Now, THIS is what I’m talking about.” I got my pants on, and winced as I took my gown off, unable to get my own shirt over my head. Lys rushed over and helped me, pulling it down since I couldn’t.  
“There we go.” She held her hands at my waist, she smiled softly up at me, “I’m so glad you get to come home today.”  
I laughed again. “Yeah, so am I. Come on, let’s go get this paperwork signed.”  
Soon, we were sitting on a bench outside the hospital waiting for Anna to pick us up. We heard her pulling in before we ever saw her car. Driving passed all the stores and houses all the way home, I laid in the back seat with my head on Lys’s lap as Nick played with the radio up front. I watched out the window as the clouds rolled by, spring very near. I closed my eyes, letting the shake of the vehicle lull me to sleep while Lys stroked my hair.  
“Sweetheart, hey, Ellie,” I woke up to Lys gently shaking my shoulder, I blinked at her smile, “You had me worried for a second. Come on, we’re at the restaurant.”  
“Restaurant?” I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. I saw a group of people waiting outside the front door, smiling at us through the car window, “Oh, right. Dinner.”  
She brushed her finger along my cheek, the red glow lighting up her eyes, “It won’t be that bad. Please? Do it for me?”  
“Fine.” I groaned. “But I won’t enjoy it.”  
We climbed out of the car, Lys running to my side to help me up. “If you get tired, just let me know and we’ll take you home.” Anna whispered; Lys nodded along. “This dinner is a family and friend event. Lys’s parents rented out the entire restaurant. We won’t let anything happen to you. It’s just a nice little dinner to celebrate your health and the love you share.” She finished whispering as we reached the people waiting for us.  
Amidst a mass of people trying to hug me, clasping my hand, and telling me over and over how happy they were that I made it out okay, I scanned their faces. Distant relatives came, probably to celebrate my real match without us hiding. All our parents were there. The Johanssons. The Masons and their daughter. Lys and Anna kept their arms around me, protectively, not letting anyone hug me too tightly, or grab me too roughly. At the end of the welcoming party, my parents stood. My mother had both hands over her face, tearing pouring down as she smiled at me. My dad mouthed the words ‘The doctor upped her medication.’ I smiled at her. “Mom, I’m so sorry.” She grabbed my hands, trying to talk but blubbering too much to get an intelligible word out. I laughed. “Mom, I can’t understand you. Let’s go sit down and when you can calm down, we’ll talk. Okay?” She hugged me, grazing the stitches from my abdominal surgery, and I jumped, wincing in pain. My dad immediately pulled her arms back, and held her as she started to cry, trying to apologize. I smiled softly at her, taking her hand in mine and leading her into the restaurant. “I’m starving.” Everyone laughed.  
Sitting at all the tables pushed together, part of me felt grateful for everyone surrounding me. But part of me felt like something wasn’t right. It may have been the pain in my abdomen, but I felt like something was going to happen. I ignored the feeling, chalking it up to my stitches. Sitting between my best friend, and the most amazing love I had ever experienced, I couldn’t help but smile.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Going back to school, I received stares, and I missed my time at home. The football team was split between blaming me that Ethan was off the team and blaming Ethan for being so reckless. I tried to hide, but there was nowhere I could. I shrunk down in my desk as the school’s star running back stared daggers at my back. “Leave her alone,” muttered Damion. “You know damn well it’s his own fault. He almost destroyed her life.” I spent the rest of class reflecting on his words. He was right, Ethan had almost destroyed my life. But he also gave me my life back. It was almost losing me that brought me and my mom closer. It’s what brought them to accepting who I am. It’s what brought my relationship with Lys into the open.  
The rest of the day was more of the same. Going by in a blur, I remember faces, red and blue, hugging me softly and telling me they were glad I was still there. I remember faces glaring at me as I walk past them in the halls. I wanted to tell them all that I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t ask the police to arrest him, and I didn’t ask him to drink that night. Instead I stayed silent. Anna threatened to boot any cheerleader that blamed me for ‘his stupidity’, as she put it. Lys tried her best to keep me distracted, asking me questions that I generally just nodded along to. Damion stayed with them the entire time, like a guard dog waited for someone to threaten me so he could attack. I had never really spent time with him before that, and he told me about how dating Matthew was an adjustment, and he was thankful to find a friendship in someone that had to go through the same thing. I tried to focus on school in the upcoming fall. Soon, I’d be as far away from them as I could be and none of this would matter anymore. But I knew in my heart that I would still be here for him. We needed allies in this world.  
When school ended that day, Anna took me home. The car was quiet, and I rested my head on the window, hoping my headache would fade. “Are you feeling okay?” She asked, patting my knee from the driver’s seat of her mom’s car.  
“Huh? Yeah.” I replied, being pulled from my daydream.  
“Come on.” She glanced at me before turning back to the road. “We both know something is bothering you. And we both know that you can’t lie to me. So why don’t you just spill it?”  
I sighed. “It’s just hard. Okay? Everyone is blaming me for Ethan being gone and off the team, even though he wasn’t going to be here to play next year anyway.”  
She frowned, her brow furrowed, “Oh, fuck those guys.”  
“What?” I laughed.  
“Seriously.” She said, eyes planted on the turn as we pulled into her driveway. “It isn’t your fault he had bad judgement or that he made a terrible decision. HE is the one that made those choices. Not you.” She paused for a moment. “Go change your clothes.”  
“Wait, what? Why?”  
“I’m calling Lys. You’ve been out of the hospital for two weeks, it’s time we go do something to celebrate and blow off steam to push this out of your head.” I touched the scar from my surgery. “Right. Poor choice of words. Still, go get dressed.” She paused again. “Actually, I’m gonna pick your clothes. From my closet. Unless you go change in the next five minutes.”  
“No need to threaten me. I’m going, I’m going.” I laughed. I climbed out of the car, making my way in the front door and up the stairs to my room. I heard my mom singing as she baked in the kitchen. ‘I’m so happy she started doing this again. It’s been so long.’ I thought to myself as I pulled open my closet door. ‘She hasn’t done it since freshman year, and I told her I wanted to go to school across the country after I graduated.’ A few minutes went by, and I heard Anna come bounding up the stairs as I pulled a new shirt over my head. She swung the door open, revealing her own change of clothes.  
“I was about to force you into a dress if you took any longer.” She laughed, seeing me in different clothes as I grabbed my shoes.  
“I still don’t understand why I had to change. It’s not like I was playing in the dirt, we just went to school.” I stated, annoyed at making more laundry to wash.  
“Because, well…because I was hoping you’d dress cuter.” She gestured at my t shirt and skinny jeans. “Is feminine out of your vocabulary?” She began searching through my closet.  
“Yeah, pretty much,” I laughed, helping her find the only thing that resembled a skirt in my closet.  
She eyed it cautiously. “What in the three Hells is that thing?”  
I grinned mischievously, “A kilt.”  
A pained expression struck her face, as she pulled out a gray band shirt with the words ‘You’re a Freak’ scrawled across it to go with it. “It’ll have to do. But seriously, I’m giving you my hand me downs. You need a wardrobe make over.”  
I gasped dramatically, “And here I thought you loved me for my eccentric dress and behavior.” She laughed and nudged my shoulder as she made her way out of the room.  
I had the new clothes on within a few minutes, tying my red converse to match as Anna came back into the room. She looked at my shoes. “I’m not gonna be able to win against those, am I?”  
“You already know the answer to that.” I chuckled. “Can we go now?”  
She sighed, defeated. “Yes. Lys is already in the car waiting for us.”  
“That was fast.” I laughed again, “Didn’t you just call her?”  
Anna looked at me, “Did you forget that you guys had plans to look at furniture for your apartment? She was coming over anyway.”  
I had no memory of planning that. “Yeah…I, uh, forgot.” As we made it the car, and Lys jump out and gave me a hug. When she started to pull away, I pulled her closer, whispering in her ear, “Thank you for sticking by me.” I kissed her cheek before pulling away to see her soft smile and getting in the car.  
Lys climbed in after me, taking my hand in hers. She leaned toward the front seat, “So, Anna. Are you gonna tell us where this adventure is? I mean, you have my girl dressed in her nicest kilt and everything.” We laughed.  
“Why, thank you for noticing, my dear!” I said, swishing the end of it with my free hand.  
“Listens, ladies,” Anna said matter-of-factly, “We’re going to a concert.”  
“What concert? We don’t have tickets for any concerts. Are there even any going on around here?” Lys asked.  
“Well, yes, actually we do have tickets. Nick got them for me to surprise you guys with, and I didn’t want to tell you until it was time. Surprise!”  
“What band? Where? Why didn’t we see any advertising?”  
“It’s more of an underground show. I don’t know if you’ve heard of them Lys. I know Ellie is obsessed with their song. Life Taker.”  
I froze, my mouth dropped open, but I couldn’t speak, “Uh-muh-suh!”  
Anna laughed, eyes still on the road. “That’s right, Ellie. Amasic is performing nearby, I’ve mentioned to Nick before how much you liked them. Turns out, he’s also a fan. He got the tickets a few weeks back and wanted to gift them to you. He kept one for himself though, otherwise I would have called Arianna. Did you know they changed their name?”  
“Story Untold!” I blurted out, the excitement welling up inside of me. “That’s why you picked this shirt!”  
Anna laughed again, pulling into the parking lot of The House of Blues. “Anna, this is hardly the place for an underground show.” Lys chuckled.  
“Well, maybe we just didn’t know about it because we were at the hospital so much and we didn’t really pay attention.” Her eyes went wide, and she hurriedly continued, “Not that I think it’s your fault, El! We also didn’t know much of the band before now. I only vaguely remembered you liked them because that day you sent us home, I played the song as Nick and I went to bed to make myself feel better.” Her face got a deeper shade of red as the ranting made her breathless.  
I laughed, patting her shoulder, “Calm down, Anna. I’m really excited and I forgive you for whatever jokes you may make.”  
“You can’t forgive me for jokes I haven’t made yet.” Anna exclaimed.  
“Sure, I can,” I replied, “I’m preemptively forgiving you.”  
By the time we made it to Nick at the end of the lot, Anna had finally stopped laughing. “What was so funny?”  
“Oh, nothing.” Anna smiled, kissing his cheek.  
“Alrighty,” he chuckled, smiling back, “Oh, Ellie, here.” He looked over, handing me an envelope. “We thought you might enjoy these.” I opened it slowly, confused as to what they could give me that was better than seeing my favorite band live, when I realized I was holding four backstage passes to the concert.  
“No freaking way!” I screamed, my hands shaking with anticipation at the sight of them. “This is so unbelievable! How? When? Why would you- “  
“Whoa, girl,” Anna laughed, putting her hand on my shoulder, “Calm down. Take a breath. And then let’s go inside.” Gripping my hand, she followed Nick inside, pulling me and Lys behind her. We got into the building and through the ticket collector, and there weren’t many people in the stage area with us. “This concert must be more underground than you made it sound.” Anna whispered to Nick.  
“Oh, this isn’t an underground concert. I didn’t tell you?” Nick smirked. “One of the roadies is my cousin. I called in a favor. He owed me for covering with his mom. She thinks he’s staying with me when he’s really touring with them.” My mouth dropped open. “Well, in all fairness,” he laughed, “I never did get you a birthday present.”  
“You ass!” Anna punched his arm, giggling, “You lied to me.”  
“Only sort of. They did sell tickets, and I did buy these ones. They gave me the backstage passes to meet the girls I busted my ass putting this together for.”  
“Well, geez,” Lys chuckled, “You guys did this for her, I guess I’ll be the one to buy her a shirt and get us drinks.” She gently took my hand. “Come on, beautiful, let’s get a drink so you can take your headache medicine before it starts.” I followed her through the small crowd, the smile on my face almost as big as the red glow coming from our hands. I saw the faces we passed, some confused, some happy, and some almost worried. My mind wandered back to what kind of acceptance we’d meet in California. Lys tilted my chin up, reading my face, she whispered, “We’re gonna be okay. Not everyone will accept our change. But we’ve got each other, and now our families on our side. We’ll make it.”  
“I love you, babe.” I smiled at her.  
“And I love you, gorgeous.” She smiled back, “Now, pick what shirt you want.”  
“Why don’t you pick which one you like best. You’re the one that’s gonna see me in it.” I replied, giggling a bit.  
“I like this black one. It’s for that song Life Taker Anna said you love. And it matches most of your wardrobe.” She held it up.  
“Then we have our winner.” I smiled, pulling out my wallet.  
“What do you think you’re doing?” She demanded. “I said I was buying you the shirt.”  
“Maybe I want to get you one! So, we can remember our first concert together.” I replied defensively.  
“Mhmm,” she rolled her eyes, “I’m totally sure.” I grabbed a shirt anyway, and held it up to her, the pale blue complimenting her skin.  
“I’m buying this for you. You can ask them to sign it backstage.” She laughed as I gave the merchant the money. We made our way back to Anna and Nick, who were more focused on each other’s lips than the stage curtains opening. “Guys!” I yelled, snapping their attention, “It’s starting! There’s Janick!” As the band filled the stage, the lyrics to Another Night pouring into the air. I started dancing, unable to stop myself as I sang along to the words. Before I knew it, they were announcing their last song and thanking everyone for coming. Anna and Lys took my hands, pulling me behind them as I quietly panicked about meeting my favorite musicians. Nick showed our passes to the guard at the door, and we were in a hallway behind the stage. The door at the other end of the hall was cracked open, and we heard voices in the now empty area. A guy popped his head into the hallway and waved at Nick.  
“That’s my cousin James. Come on, the band is in there.” Nick said, taking Anna’s hand, and I watched the purple glow fill the hallway as they made their way down to the door. My feet seemed planted in place.  
“Nervous?” Lys grinned at me.  
I gulped. “Maybe a little bit.” I gripped her hand. “Stay with me?”  
She laughed, “Where am I going to go?” She squeezed my hand back. “I’m never going to leave you beautiful. You’ve had me hooked since I met you.” I tilted her face to mine, kissing her gently. She smiled at me, “Now, let’s go meet these guys. The singer was kind of cute.” She winked at me. She started pulling me toward the room.  
As we walked in, I saw the lead singer, Janick, just a couple feet in front of me and my mouth fell open. ‘Say something you idiot.’ I thought to myself.  
He stood up to shake my hand. “You must be Ellie.” His French-Canadian accent was strong.  
‘Yes.’ Nothing came out of my mouth. ‘Say words, you barnacle head. Wait, what? Barnacle head? When did I enter the world of SpongeBob? Ohmygod! I’m still not making words!’ My head whirled and I was getting dizzy. Nick and Janick caught me, as Anna spoke.  
“Yeah, this is Ellie. Obviously, she’s had such a wonderful time tonight, we may have let her overexert herself. I’m really sorry about that.” She knelt beside me as they helped me into a chair. “Are you okay, El?”  
“I’m good.” I finally managed to get words out. I looked up at Janick and Mehdi watching me. “J'aime ta musique. Il me parle.” I didn’t know why I chose to talk to them in French. I didn’t know very much of it.  
Janick knelt down, “Je vous remercie. Nous aimons toujours rencontrer des fans. James nous dit que vous étiez dans un accident?”  
I froze again. “I’m sorry. I only took a year of French class. That’s all I know how to say anymore. It’s all I had planned if I ever met you.”  
They laughed, the guitarist, Jessy, spoke from behind them, “He said ‘Thank you. We like to meet fans. James tells us you were in an accident. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”  
“Oh, yeah.” I nodded, “Just a little dizzy from all the dancing and then being star struck. I love your music so much. I’ve listened to all your covers, too.” The drummer, Mehdi, asked me what had happened. “A long, long, drunk driver story.” I laughed.  
Nick’s cousin James spoke up, “To clarify, from what I understand, you were hit by the drunk driver, correct?”  
“Yes.” Anna replied. “A guy that we went to school with got drunk with his match, drove anyway, and killed three people that night. But enough of that depression. We brought her here to bring the vibes and energy up!”  
Janick laughed, his hand still on my shoulder to keep me steady. “This must be your lucky lady, right?” He nodded to Lys.  
“Sort of.” I smiled at her, “I’m the lucky one. She stayed with me damn near the entire time I was in the hospital.”  
“That is something special you have there. Not many people are so openly accepting.” He smiled kindly at us. “You guys are safe here.” The other guitarist, Max, came over and whispered in Janick’s ear. “That’s a great idea. We’re gonna do an acoustic song for you.”  
My mouth dropped open again. “No way. Are you serious right now? That would be amazing.”  
“We do what we can for our fans.” Janick said as Max and Jessy pulled out their guitars.  
Within a few minutes of tuning, I was hearing the words to Everything is Okay and I watched him sing. When they were finished, I was clapping as hard as I could, my head aching. Lys must have sensed my pain, because she suggested they take me home. Nick pulled out a sharpie, “Before we go, can we please get autographs?”


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

I woke up the next morning in Lys’s bed, my head a little groggy. I sat up slowly, looking around the room, and my eyes fell upon raven hair laying on her desk. I woke her up, accidentally knocking a book to the floor that had been at my feet. “Hey, sleepyhead.” She yawned, stretching.  
“Hey, you.” I smiled. “Why’d you sleep at your desk last night?”  
She looked around. “I hadn’t meant to. I was looking at furniture for the new place.”  
“Shouldn’t we find a place first?” I laughed, brushing her hair behind her ear.  
“Yeah…” she grinned, biting her lip. “About that…”  
“What aren’t you telling me?” I squinted at her. “Is there something I should know?”  
“Well, actually…,” she bit her lip again, “Our dads kind of, sort of, might’ve already found us an apartment and gotten the lease set up. They showed me pictures and it is absolutely gorgeous!”  
I gaped at her, a grin slowly spreading on my face, “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
“We wanted to surprise you.” I turned to see Mr. Chaplin coming through the open bedroom door. “It’s nothing fancy, just a studio apartment near campus. It’s about halfway between the college and that bookstore Mr. Mason got you into.” I hugged him.  
“Thank you so much, Mr. Chaplin.”  
“Dear, I told you, you’re practically already my daughter in law. Call me dad.” He smiled, turning on his heel and heading back out the door.  
Lys laughed. ‘That sweet melody…my beautiful girl…my dream school…my life is coming together…’ I thought to myself.  
“Are you okay, beautiful?” I snapped back to reality to see Lys standing in front of me, her hands on my shoulders and concern in her eyes. I nodded. “You sure? You were gone pretty far away for a minute. You were smiling pretty big. Thinking about last night?”  
“No, totally. I’m okay. Just thinking about how amazing all this is.” I stammered out. “I mean, just a few months ago, I was hoping I never matched with anyone because I didn’t want the hassle of working my life around another person, and now here I am. With a girl I’m absolutely crazy about, going to the school we’ve both been dreaming about, I survived something that should have killed me, and I have the greatest friends in the world. Life is finally looking up for us.”  
She giggled, pulling me into a hug, “Oh sweetheart, it’s just gonna keep getting better. Now come look at this apartment!” She spun back around to her laptop.

By the end of the next week, Lys had ordered everything for our new apartment, and it was all to be delivered the day after we were set to arrive. All that was left was graduation in another month. Until one day, while at the mall with our gang, Travis got a phone call.  
“Hello? Who am I speaking to?” He asked the caller. After a minute of listening, he dropped his phone.  
Percy was right at his side, “Babe, what’s wrong?” Lys scooped up his phone and put the receiver to her ear. After a moment, her face grew grim.  
“We need a ride.” She stated, as she booked it to the car, the rest of us trailing behind as we dragged a still despondent Travis with us.  
“Where am I going?” Nick asked as he climbed in the driver’s seat.  
“Saint Peter’s hospital!” Lys yelled, trying to sooth Travis.  
“What happened?” Percy asked.  
Everyone was quiet as Lys spoke to Travis. “Is it your dad?” I asked quietly. “He told me about his tumor the night of that party after I yelled at your mom. He said they couldn’t figure out when…is that what happened?”  
Travis slowly nodded. Nick was still driving, grazing just enough over the speed limit to get there quickly, but without getting pulled over. The mall was only a few minutes from the hospital, but by the time we finally pulled into the parking lot, the silence felt like hours. Travis, who had been so despondent, flew out of the car the moment Nick started hitting the brakes in front of the doors, with Lys closely behind. Though Percy and I wanted to follow and be with them, we thought it would be best to let Nick park the car and give them some time alone to assess what was happening in the room.  
A few minutes later, we approached the desk to ask for his room number, when Lys was running down the hall toward us with tears in her eyes. I caught her as she flew into my arms. She laughed. I pulled away so I could look in her eyes, “Lys, what’s going on?”  
“They did another x-ray.” She smiled. “They say that he collapsed due to the pressure the tumor was putting on the top of his spinal column, but they think they’ll be able to operate. If it’s successful, they say he’ll be okay with some minor paralysis.”  
“That’s fantastic!” Anna yelled, drawing the attention from hospital security for us to quiet down. “Take us to the room.” She whispered, avoiding eye contact with the guards glaring at her.  
“This way!” Lys replied, voice cracking from the tears still pouring from her eyes.  
She guided us to the elevator and up to the second-floor mezzanine where the ICU was located. The woman sitting at the nurses’ station stopped us to let us know that only a few people could be in the room at a time, unless they were immediate family. “Can’t you tell?” The voice of another woman came from around the corner. “Those are our kids and their matches. They are our immediate family.” Lys’s mom appeared by the station. The nurse nodded, placing a finger to her lips to indicate that we needed to keep our voices down. As we entered the room, her mother spoke, “Normally, they still wouldn’t let this many people in the room, but his brother’s husband is one of the doctors here.” She smiled. “Actually, Ellie, I believe he was your doctor.”  
“So that was him!” Anna whispered/yelled. “When he told us his last name, I thought maybe. But I had never met Uncle Steve’s husband, so I wasn’t sure. I knew they met when he was at college and that his husband was a med student at the time.”  
Mrs. Chaplin nodded. “I knew for a while that he was still friendly with Steve. And the only reason I didn’t want him to be was because I…” She paused, a sad look in her eye, “I still believed I was protecting Lys and Travis if he wasn’t around. But I was wrong.”  
Mr. Chaplin laughed suddenly. “Sweetheart, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you admit you were wrong before.” He used his eyes to gesture to the bed remote.  
“You want to sit up, dad?” Travis asked, grabbing the remote as their father nodded. “Just a little bit, okay? You still need plenty of rest while they prepare for your surgery.”  
“You doing okay, Ellie?” Mr. Chaplin asked from his bed.  
“Me? You should be worried about yourself.” I replied, half laughing at the sudden question.  
“Sweetheart, I can see your hands shaking from here.” I glanced down and realized for the first time that I was, in fact, shaking. “The last time you were here was after your accident, so it’s not surprising that you would be uncomfortable. You don’t need to push yourself.”  
“Thank you, sir.” He gave me that look. “I’m sorry. Thank you, dad. But I’m not going anymore.” My head started to throb suddenly, “But I think I will sit down.” Lys leaned me on her shoulder then and helped me over to the chair that Travis quickly vacated. “You guys don’t have to baby me anymore, you know? We’re here for him.”  
“Oh hush, sweetheart.” Mrs. Chaplin said, “This is what it’s like with family.” She smiled softly.  
There came a knock on the door. “Hello? Mr. Chaplin? Is now a good time?” A doctor popped his head in. “I’m Doctor Wayne. I know you have some visitors, but I need to get you prepped for your surgery. They’ll have to come back tomorrow. We can only allow your wife to stay for the night.”  
“We understand.” Anna said. “Can his kids have a few more minutes?”  
The doctor nodded. “Just a few, but the rest of you need to head out.”  
I grabbed Lys’s hand. “I’ll see you downstairs, babe.” She nodded and we left the room in silence.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

A few days after Mr. Chaplin’s surgery, he was still in a medically induced coma. I had to ask Anna to go with Lys to visit because I started having panics attacks when I walked in the hospital, since the adrenaline of the first day had gone away. She told me not to worry about it, and that she didn’t blame me, though I still felt I was abandoning her.  
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” I asked as Lys pulled on her shoes. “I feel bad about leaving you to go alone.”  
“Sweetie don’t worry about it. You don’t feel up to it, and we all understand. Today it’s just gonna be me and Travis anyway. Percy has baseball practice since their first game is next week.” Lys smiled before gently kissing my cheek. “If you feel up to it tomorrow, they say they’re gonna be waking him up then, so I’d appreciate it if you could be there, but I won’t force you.”  
“Tomorrow?” I paused, “I’ll try, baby girl. I’ll see you when you get back, okay?”  
“Yeah, sweetie.” Lys trailed her fingers down my arm, and she walked toward the door. “I love you.”  
“I love you, too, babe.” I watched as she made her way to her mom’s waiting car and pulled onto the road. Less than a minute later, Anna was in my driveway. “Anna?” I called to her. “Is everything okay?”  
“No. You need to come with me. Now.” She threw open the passenger door to her mother’s car and climbed back into the driver’s side. “My uncle just called me.”  
“The one married to the doctor?”  
“Yes.”  
“What’s going on?” I stared at her as she kept her gaze on the road. “Is Mr. Chaplin, okay?”  
“They don’t know. They couldn’t reach Lys’s mom because she was driving, so he called me because he didn’t want to talk to Uncle Joel’s kids until they were face to face. All he told me was that they started to wean the medication, so they’d be able to wake up Uncle Joel tomorrow, but when they went to check on him, he was in cardiac arrest. He said that it might be a side effect from the surgery, but they aren’t sure yet.” She whipped the car into a driveway before laying on the horn. “Percy!” She screamed out her open window. “Percy, let’s go!” He came running out the door in his baseball sweats. “Sorry you have to miss practice, man.”  
“It’s fine,” He said, throwing the door closed behind him and buckling in, “I called the team, everyone said this is what I should be doing, they have no hard feelings. Gun it!” Anna was already back on the road. “Hello, by the way. She called me on her way to your house, Ellie.”  
“So, she already gave you the run down?” I asked, turning to see his face.  
“Yeah,” he paused, “I thought about calling Travis, but I figured it would be best to wait until we got there.” We held on as Anna hit the speed bump to the hospital going too fast and the car jumped. “Okay, Evel Knievel, let’s get there alive.”  
“Too late, I’m already parked.” Anna replied, whipping into the first available spot. “Now, get out and let’s go.” Anna was out the door before the keys were fully out of the ignition. I reached for my handle and saw my hands shaking.  
‘No. This is for Lys.’ I thought to myself as I shoved the door open and forced myself out. I jammed my hands in my pockets in attempt to avoid Anna’s worry. But I failed.  
“Girl come on. I know you’ve got a panic attack coming, and you can wait here if you want.”  
“No, I need to be there for her. I’ll be okay. Let’s go.” I sprinted to the door, looking like an awkward penguin with my hands still in my pockets. I made it to the information desk first. “Joel Chaplin’s room number, please.”  
“Yes, miss. One moment.” The receptionist had just finished clicking on the keyboard when Anna and Percy caught up to me. “He’s in CCU 8 on the second floor.”  
“Thank you.” I speed walked to the elevator.  
“CCU?” Percy and Anna asked at once.  
“Cardiac Care Unit. Also called Critical Care Unit. We need to get up there.” I clicked the button on the elevator several times, though in my head I knew it wouldn’t move any faster.  
“Calm down.” Percy took me by the shoulders. “I know you are worried, about him, and about Lys, and about everything, but you need to calm down. Now take a deep breath.” I did as he said and took a deep breath. As I let it out, I heard the elevator door ding open and he ushered me through it. I heard him click the button behind me before I turned around, a few seconds later the doors opened to the second floor. “Come on now,” he said, “It’s down the hall.”  
I watched the numbers pass, and then I heard her voice. “Tell me exactly what happened.” I knew we were at the right room.  
We stood in the doorway as the doctor started speaking. “From what we know from the tests, the surgery to remove the tumor and the medication we used to induce and sustain the coma damaged his heart more than we predicted because it was already weakened by the cancer. We have him stable now, we’ve run more tests and it was a minor heart attack.”  
“So, what does that mean? Is he going to be okay?” Mrs. Chaplin sounded exhausted.  
“Yes. With more rest and recuperation, he will make a full recovery in about a week or two from the heart attack. Another month and we’ll be able to check for any permanent damage to the spinal cord that may cause any kind of paralysis. For the time being, no matter how good he feels when he gets discharged, he will need to stay in a wheelchair when moving about the house.” The doctor smiled, “In the long run, for now, he’s a very lucky man.”  
Mrs. Chaplin dropped into the chair next to the bed, she was obviously fatigued from staying at the hospital. “Mrs. Chaplin, you should go home and rest.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized it. “I understand that you want to be there for him, but you can’t let your own health fall on the back burner either.”  
She looked at me, staring at me for what felt like ten minutes before she finally nodded. “You’re right. He’d never forgive me.” She put her hand on Travis’s shoulder, “Will you stay here, dear?”  
“Of course, mom. I’ll call you with any news.”  
And, so, we stayed at the hospital for hours. Waiting to make sure their dad- our dad- was healing.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

It’s been over a month since Mr. Chaplin was released from the hospital. Today was the day we’d find out if he needed a wheelchair for life, or if it was temporary. We were all nervously watching the driveway, waiting for his doctor’s appointment to be over and for them to be home. Lys was baking to keep her nerves calm. I stood in the kitchen, surrounded with piles and piles of cookies and cupcakes. Pies and fudge. Brownies and donuts. The kitchen had an aroma that matched that of a bakery.  
“Lys, baby, unless you’re planning a bake sale, it’s time to stop. This is more than Percy’s entire team could eat in a month.”  
“Maybe I will have a bake sale. Donate the proceeds to the families of Greg and Anthony and Sierah to help with the money they put towards the funerals.”  
I put my hand on her shoulder, “That would be a very nice idea.” She sighed.  
“I’m just nervous. I don’t know if I can go to California next week if he has to stay in the chair.” She sulked.  
I hugged her. “If you decide to stay, I’ll understand. And if you decide to go, they will understand. You don’t need to try to please anyone but yourself. California won’t be the same without you, but neither would this place. Wherever you are, I’m home.”  
She was crying when Percy came in the room. “They’re here.” She ran to the front door.  
“Daddy!”  
“Hey princess, you ready to walk that stage tonight?” He smiled as he climbed out of the car into the wheelchair Mrs. Chaplin set up for him.  
“Never you mind that, what did the doctor say?” Lys chirped out.  
Mrs. Chaplin opened her mouth, but Mr. Chaplin answered first, “Everything is looking good. Should be walking around within the next few weeks.” He smiled, and Mrs. Chaplin smiled. But something was off.  
At least to me.   
Lys jumped, “That is such great news, daddy!” Travis looked equally happy, and Percy and Anna were smiling alongside him. I made myself, too, even though something felt off in Mrs. Chaplin’s smile.

It hit seven ‘o’ clock that evening, and we were seated in the school’s small auditorium in alphabetical order. The principal was giving a speech about how we all ‘hold the key to our own futures’ and mentioning how the school overcame an immense tragedy which led into him mentioning how proud he was that I was a phoenix that rose from the ashes of that accident and got accepted to such a prestigious school. I shrunk down in my seat until I heard Jason, “SHE’S BEEN ACCEPTED FOR OVER A YEAR. THE ACCIDENT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING.” I laughed harder than I meant to.  
“Yes. You are correct Mr. Daniels.” The principal laughed before smiling down at us from the podium, “She, like all of you, worked very hard the last four years to get into their dream schools, or their top training centers. It would be an understatement to say I am proud of this graduating class. In the last thirteen years of schooling, yes thirteen, don’t forget kindergarten,” He laughed again at his own joke, “You have worked together, worked apart, made friends, lost friends, found matches, and focused on everything you want your life to be. I have never received so many transcript requests from schools that followed them up with acceptance letters as I have this year for this class. And not just because this is our largest graduating class.” He laughed at himself again. “But you should all be very proud of yourselves. I would like to invite Ellie up to say a few words, as this year’s valedictorian.” I looked over at Lys in the crowd of caps and gowns, and she was just smiling with tears in her eyes, a chaos of cheers around us but I could still pick out the voices of my friends and family.  
As I got to the stage, my former physics teacher stood up, rushing to the stairs to offer me a hand. As I got to the principal I whispered, “I don’t remember talking about giving a speech. Am I having like short term memory loss?”  
“No, I’m sorry. I should have thought to speak with you first, but I think everyone would like to hear from you.” The principal smiled softly as he stepped away, allowing me to the microphone.   
“Uh, hi, everyone. I didn’t know I would be speaking tonight, so please just give me a moment to think. At least it doesn’t give me a headache anymore.” I chuckled breathlessly and there was a roar of laughter. “These passed years with all of you have been amazing. I know I have made friends I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.” I saw Anna and Travis grinning up at me. “I made a match that we all know is once in a lifetime, and I plan to treasure her for as long as she’ll have me.” I grinned at Lys as she made a heart with her hands, tears in her eyes. “And I’ve made allies and friends that we can celebrate our loves and our lives for many years to come.” I smiled at Damion and Matthew as they held each other’s hand tightly. “So, I would like Cortland High. For giving something I can never replace, a journey I could never forget. and a life I would never regret. It’s been a long road, and I can’t speak for anyone else, but you’ll always be home. And thank all of you here, student, visitor, and faculty, for being exactly who we all needed when we needed you.” Everyone shot out of their chairs, clapping and shouting. I looked up at my family, mom crying, dad clapping, and Jason shouting and giving me a thumbs up.  
The principal took the mic stand back as I made my way back to my seat. “Thank you, Ellie, for being the amazing girl we’re known you to be and thank you for those amazing words. Now, let us start with giving you the diplomas you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Xander Arnaby. Lee Ames. Rachel Buckle.” And on he went. Anna was called. Then Lys. Then Travis. Me. Before too much longer, we were heading to Anna’s house for the dinner celebration our parents put together for all our families. We were sitting at the dining room table, each of our parents giving speeches of how they were proud of each of us. Percy gave a speech about Travis. Nick gave one about Anna. Jason for Arianna. My parents egged Lys on to give one. Her parents egged me on. We just smiled at each other. It wasn’t necessary. We knew we were proud of each other.  
When dinner was over, everyone was getting ready to leave, Mr. Chaplin called me over before Travis was there to help him into the car. “You’re a very empathic girl. I knew you’d be able to tell something was wrong earlier.” I nodded as he continued, “Well, the doctor thinks my chair may be permanent. But we both know Lys will give up CalTech to stay and take care of me. And I don’t want that. I will tell her after you two have started school and she’ll be too focused to come home. She won’t know you knew.”  
“If you don’t want to tell her, I will respect that. But you should tell her sooner rather than later. It’ll just upset her more.”  
He nodded. Suddenly, a car came blowing past us, pelting Lys and Percy with eggs as they screamed, “Same colors don’t belong together!” Before I had time to respond, they pulled over, climbing out of the car. They were yelling. Jason came out of the house when he heard the commotion. My dad followed. Then my mom. “Your kids are freaks!”  
My mom tossed her meds at me. “Hold this, I’m about to go on crazy on this little bastard’s ass!”   
“Wait for me, mom!” Jason yelled back, Travis and Nick following him up.  
And that’s when it donned on me. We are going to run into a lot of people that feel the same way as these guys. But we are also going to have a lot of people like our families. People that will love us and support us. Defend us.  
And that’s when I accepted that it didn’t have to always end up purpling.


End file.
